


Video Game Oneshots

by Sakuraaeris1497



Category: Prototype, The Last of Us, Tomb Raider - Fandom, Uncharted, Until Dawn, Watch Dogs - Fandom, inFAMOUS: Second Son
Genre: Best Friend! Reader, Conduit! Reader, F/M, Infected! Reader, Insecure! Reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 12:27:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 60,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16264199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sakuraaeris1497/pseuds/Sakuraaeris1497
Summary: Here are some oneshots for the various video games that I’m proud to play and be a member of their fandoms. Oneshots can be requested otherwise they will be updated as ideas arise. Please enjoy!





	1. Until Dawn - All Characters x Female Reader - Friends for Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Greetings, everyone, this is Sakuraaeris1497 here!
> 
> Since I bought my first horror video game, Until Dawn, and had the honor of playing it, I realized that I loved it. Therefore, after reading many fanfictions for Until Dawn, I decided to do a oneshot with all the characters featuring the female reader, a best friend to the group since the beginning. 
> 
> For the purpose of this fanfiction, there will be no Wendigos, no Josh as the Psycho, and no prank against Hannah that resulted in her and Beth's disappearance. It will just be a regular modern AU with all the members of the gang safe and happy but it will take place a year before the canon events of the prologue from the game. 
> 
> Also, this fanfiction may bring with it emotional triggers relating to body image as well as dating infidelity and emotional and mental abuse/bullying from a dating partner. This is why I caution all those who read it. But I also write this for all the readers and writers out there who struggle with body image, bullying, emotional and mental abuse, or have had a dating partner commit infidelity while in the relationship with you. I want everyone to know that beauty comes from your personality and what's in your heart, not what people see on the outside. You are all beautiful, intelligent, and special in your own ways because there is no other person like you in this world. You also deserve love and respect and you have the right to be treated like a decent human being with feelings and valid opinions. Please never let ANYONE tell you otherwise, EVER. 
> 
> Now, without further ado, here is the Until Dawn fanfiction. Please enjoy the story and as always, comments and requests are welcome from all of you.

It was 2nd grade when you met Joshua Washington, an eccentric little boy who had the best toothy grin, told the cheesiest puns, and loved films so much that he could effortlessly quote them from memory and watched them so much that sometimes, DVD's would get scratched and VHS tapes would unravel in the VCR. It also helped that Josh was the cutest, shortest little boy in your class who had the curliest hair and the greenest eyes, which caused you to have a little crush on him. This fast-forming friendship with Josh eventually led to you meeting Hannah and Beth Washington, his younger identical twin sisters, and together, all four of you became a fast group of friends. You remembered the days when you two would watch classic blockbusters on the lawn in the Washington's backyard using a projector and a white bed sheet tied to two trees, all while Josh would talk about the film like a paid film critic and the twin girls would throw popcorn at their brother and shush him so they could hear the films. You also remembered when Josh would come to your home and play video games with you all day long while munching on a whole bag of pizza rolls, practically creaming you at Super Smash Brothers Melee with his strategically-chosen characters. Looking back on it now, all of the Washington children were sweet to you to the point that they would remember your birthday every year and get you a special gift from the heart; once, they even got you a large teddy bear for Valentine's Day and even worked together to craft a decorative card for you. That's why ever since you went to 2nd grade with them, you always said the Washington siblings were your best friends, just as they remarked that you were their best friend whenever they were asked.

Samantha Giddings and Christopher Hartley came shortly afterwards in 3rd grade, especially when Chris was moved to the back of the classroom beside Josh because of an unruly boy who was playing with the bra of the girl in front of him. Since that fateful day, Chris and Josh grew closer but you and Chris clicked right away because he always helped you out with his computer wizardry whenever your electronics gave you a hard time. Plus, Chris was kinda cute with his nerdy sayings that always made you laugh, his blonde faux hawk, and his blue eyes hidden behind glasses. You and Sam, on the other hand, bonded over your shared love of nature and animals, especially when Sam showed you, Josh, Chris, Hannah, and Beth a picture of the new dog her parents let her adopt from the local shelter. After learning you liked nature hikes and dogs too, Sam often found herself inviting you to her house to have a girl's only sleepover with Hannah and Beth so you could paint each other's nails, talk about cute boys, go for nature walks in her backyard, and play with her rescued shelter pets. Now if anyone asked you who your best friends were at that time, you would say the Washington siblings, Chris, and Sam and they would say you were their best friend. 

Ashley Brown and Matthew Taylor were the next group to arrive on the scene as you added two new best friends to your current list of best friends from elementary school. The red-haired bookworm bonded with you quickly because you both had a passion for literature, even if the book was something most kids hated to read for school or was just so out of the box. Your favorite books were Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Fairest by Gail Carson Levine, and The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien while hers was The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, The Scarlett Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne, and the entire Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. It also helped to have a fellow writer by your side so you could help each other on English essays or constructively critique each other's fanfictions for the many fandoms you enjoyed. Matt eventually hung out with you and your gang of friends when he was partnered up with you for a group project for science class since you were an honor roll student and he was only getting a C in the course due to lack of study time caused by football practice and lack of complete understanding of the subjects discussed in class notes. While you were not too fond of sports and didn't really understand them much, you did try to learn about football from Matt and you even came to his games as social support, complete with a colorful sign as you shouted from the stands. In return, you helped Matt pass science class with a low A since science came to you a bit more easily and you explained it in a way that Matt could understand so he wouldn't be labeled as a "meathead." This only made Matt come to your plays as a friend whenever you were acting, singing, and dancing onstage with Ashley, Chris, Josh, Sam, Hannah, and Beth; Matt even sat in the front row for EACH showing of the productions and even donated money to the drama club by buying a bag of cookies or brownies whenever bake sales were used as a marketing tool and a fundraiser for the program. 

Jessica Riley, Emily Davis, and Michael Munroe were the last ones to join the group and while it seemed like the more popular trio would never in their wildest dreams associate with you for the sake of their popularity on the peer group food chain, they actually proved themselves to be very loyal, which earned them a place in your book as best friends. Similar tastes in music bonded you and Jessica together, especially when you two sat beside each other in history class and were allowed to listen to earbuds while writing your term papers. Meanwhile, your intelligence in class made Emily want to align herself with someone she thought was intellectually stimulating, but as soon as she got to know you better, she found that she liked you even if you dressed like a tomboy constantly and hated shopping despite owning a few girly things in your closet. Finally, Mike grew to like you as a friend because when you worked together in the student council together as the class president and class secretary, you really helped him out and made the school a better place with your expert ideas. 

With all these friends who loved you, it was no wonder that you were a healthy, happy girl. But the one thing you wanted that Emily and Mike had was a dating relationship. Ah, the old dating relationship between a boy and a girl! Sure, you were a girl that anyone would be lucky to be with, but as of high school, no one had ever asked you out for a real date. Sure, Matt and Josh would ask you to accompany them somewhere such as a local restaurant or a movie theater, but you just went as friends, not as dating partners. However, that all changed when one student named (Guy's Name) asked you to be his girlfriend after being introduced to you through a mutual friend from gym class, (Female Friend's Name). Being with him made you feel special because he would take you on real dates and stuff even if you guys only cuddled, hugged, and kissed every once in a while. In fact, your ten best friends were happy for you and wished for the best in the relationship since they knew how badly you wanted a man to love you just as much as they all did. They even shipped you two together and always wanted to hear the juicy gossip about you and (Guy's Name), especially the girls, who were developing crushes of their own with the main pairing likely to happen being Sam and your hot Eagle Scout cousin (Male Cousin's Name), Ashley and Chris, and finally, Beth and Hannah with your other male cousin and his best friend (Other Male Cousin's Name) and (Cousin's Best Friend's Name) respectively since Hannah's original crush Mike was already taken by Emily. However, looking back on it now, you kinda regretted going out with (Guy's Name) because of the way he treated you even though you tried to save face in public since you internalized your problems so your family and your best friends didn't have to worry. Despite you trying to hide what really went on behind closed doors, your best friends from childhood soon learned what a jerk (Guy's Name) was one at a time until there was nothing you could say or do to hide what was really happening or even change their minds about leaving him. 

_____________________________________________________

The first instance of the emotional abuse you suffered at the hands of (Guy's Name) was at a football game for Matt. You always went to Matt's games ever since you two were in elementary school and you always cheered him on because he was one of the best players on the whole team. But you also cheered on the other players because it was your home team and you always liked to see the joy on their faces when they won, especially at the annual Homecoming Game. However, your boyfriend didn't like the attention you were paying Matt, so when the Homecoming Game was over and he was out of his uniform after the win, he started to be rude and stand-offish to you as he asked, "Why weren't you cheering for me during the game? Why were you only cheering on Matt?"

"What're you talking about? I did cheer you on. In fact, I cheered the entire team on but Matt is the linebacker and he's the one who helps the team get the ball or stop the other team so you as the quarterback can score." 

"Oh, so are you saying Matt's better than I am?" Your boyfriend practically screamed at you as heads started to turn and Matt looked your way with chocolate eyes laced with concern as he wondered why (Guy's Name) was talking down to you as you tried to diffuse the situation since you noticed many pairs of eyes and worried expressions all baring down on you, "No, I'm not saying that. But I've known Matt longer and he's one of my best friends." 

"Then maybe you should just date him instead of me, you stupid, worthless-" (Guy's Name) hissed at you as you looked at him with widened (Eye Color) eyes due to shock at what he was saying and suggesting but also due to the fact that everyone was staring at you again before Matt screamed out, "HEY! Don't talk to her like that!"

"Excuse me? This is my girlfriend." (Guy's Name) responded back to your friend as Matt shook his head and shouted back, "I don't care! (Name) is a young lady and she deserves to be treated like a decent human being. So for you to even imply that she is unfaithful to you is absurd. But I also don't like the way you're speaking to her right now. You're embarrassing yourself and her in front of all these people by acting like an ass so if you can please restrain yourself, please do so." 

"Whatever, I'm leaving. See you later, (Name)." (Guy's Name) huffed back as he angrily walked away before you sheepishly waved goodbye while your boyfriend walked to his truck. After angrily slamming the door and driving away, still huffing and puffing like The Big, Bad Wolf at how the tables of the situation turned on him with the appearance of Matt, you and your friend stared at the truck that roared in the distance before the attractive African-American asked, "You okay?" 

"Umm, yeah, I'm fine. It's okay though, every couple fights." You tried to explain the situation even though you knew people would be concerned about the way (Guy's Name) was treating you before Matt shook his head in disagreement, "Not like that. Are you sure you're okay?" 

"Yeah, I'm okay." You nodded before Matt shrugged, knowing he couldn't convince you to talk about it if you didn't want to or ask for help if you didn't want help. To lighten the mood and maybe get your mind off of what happened, Matt made you an offer as he suggested with a kind smile, "Hey, how's about I get out of this uniform and take a shower, we get some late night Taco Bell, and then I drive you home like a true friend would?"

"Yeah, sure. Let me just text my parents and let them know I'll be out later than usual. I'll meet you outside the locker room on the basketball bleachers." You replied as Matt nodded before he sauntered his way to the locker room, but not without looking at you again as he noticed a melancholic expression on your face as you sighed into the open air with the elbow of your dominant hand resting on your knee and your dominant hand cradling your cheek. Matt figured something wasn't right about (Guy's Name) and he hated to see you be treated like that, partly because you were his best friend and partly because you were a young lady who deserved to be respected and loved. In his mind, Matt knew that he would do what he did again if (Guy's Name) ever treated you that harshly again in public, but he also wanted your shared group of friends to know about what happened so if (Guy's Name) ever mistreated you, the others would know how to handle it. 

For the thirty minutes you sat on the bleachers as you got the permission texts from your parents to stay out late on a Friday night with a male best friend, Matt finished his shower after ten minutes and called up Josh, the oldest in your social circle but also the best friend you knew the longest. Hearing an electronic ring for a minute, Matt waited patiently for his friend to pick up before he heard a familiar, "Yello?" 

"Josh, hey, man, what's going on?"

"Nothing much. Just watching the trailer for the new Iron Man movie. What about you? How does it feel to be football champ again?" Josh replied on the other line as keyboard clacking could be heard faintly by Matt along with a small sip from what sounded like a soda can hitting a desk before Matt replied sheepishly, "It, umm...It feels great." 

"Something up, man?"

"Yeah, umm, have you been noticing anything weird about (Guy's Name)? Any particular way he treats (Name) in comparison to other people?" 

"Umm, not that I can remember. Why? Did something happen tonight?" Josh interrogated with a pause in his sentence to hear anything from Matt in regards to his best friend before Matt shrugged with his answer, "Yeah, that guy was just being a real idiot, accusing her of flirting with me and implying she was unfaithful. What made it worse was when he screamed at her until I came over there. Then he just angrily got in his truck and left her here even though he was supposed to take her home tonight after the game." 

"That asshole!" Josh hissed at the top of his lungs before he practically screamed into the phone, "Are you frigging kidding me right now, Matt?"

"I wish I was, Josh. But she just looks so upset out there on the bleachers waiting up for me. That's why I'm gonna take her out for some Taco Bell and then take her home. I figured I'd get her mind off of (Guy's Name) so she has plenty of time to reflect on what I said and cool off. He should know better than to treat a lady like that." Matt explained as Josh nodded on his end of the phone, "No, I agree. But you know, the way he treats women reflects on him and how he was raised, so if he wants to act like that, he can. But he also needs to realize that someone will say something to him about it, especially the best friends of the girl he's mistreating." 

"You can say that again. I nearly decked the guy for calling (Name) worthless and stupid." 

"Well, (Name) is far from that and I hope she doesn't internalize what he says because she knows we all love her and support her. And honestly, if you decked him and got arrested, I'd use my college funds to bail you out." Josh sighed at your plight according to the accounts of Matt before he tried to make a joke to lighten the mood while the football star chuckled under his breath, "I wouldn't want you to do that even though I know you would. But I'll definitely take good care of (Name), make sure she eats and gets home safely." 

"Yeah, you two have fun. We'll talk later, okay?" Josh replied lightheartedly as Matt nodded back with his own smile while on the phone, "Okay, see you soon, Hollywood." 

"Later, Hulk." Josh joked before he hung up on his end as Matt stuffed his smartphone in the back pocket of his jeans as he grabbed his gym bag, filled with all his football gear and his uniform, and slung the storage item over his shoulder. After readjusting his gray hoodie and throwing on his letterman jacket, Matt made his way out to the bleachers where you were waiting for him, scrolling through fanfiction on Tumblr, before your African-American friend grinned, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. The snacks here at the football games are good, especially the cheese fries, but whenever people offer me Taco Bell, I always take them up on that offer." 

"Well, then, let's not keep the tacos waiting." Matt joked as you giggled lightly at his humor before he led you out to his car, where he opened the passenger door for you like a true gentleman as you thanked him, remarking that he always had a big heart. This only proceeded to make him blush red as warmth layered his entire face before you giggled into your hands at his flustered expression. He even let you choose the temperature and music of the car even though you claimed he was the driver and had the choice to make for both options. Anything Matt could do to distract you from how (Guy's Name) treated you that night, he would do it since you deserved to be treated like you were special, especially by a boyfriend who claimed to love you so darn much. To be fair to Matt, he did manage to distract you very well and he even texted you once he got home, just to let you know he was safe but also to make sure you were okay. He even sent you the sweetest, longest text message ever to say how special you were as his best friend, and after crying a little bit from how heartfelt it was, you thanked him in text form before wishing each other goodnight. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Since the incident between Matt and (Guy's Name) on the football field after the Homecoming Game, Josh had spread around to everyone else what Matt had told him but asked that everyone not say anything, even though the entire group knew that you would have figured that Matt, as kind as his heart was, would not stand by and refuse to report the incident to everyone else. Whenever something bad went down and he was a witness to his friends being mistreated, Matt was no bystander. He would stand up for his friends even if it meant getting beaten up or knocked down a column on the popularity food chain of high school. Even after learning about the incident, no one confronted you about it because they didn't want to upset you. However, their opinion of (Guy's Name) changed since NO ONE talked to their best friend like that and got away with it. Their opinions of (Guy's Name) would only get worse, especially after a private conversation he exchanged with Sam. 

Sam had invited you and your boyfriend to her house for dinner so you guys could try a new vegetarian recipe she found on social media and wanted to cook. When you had left the kitchen for a few minutes to take a phone call from Beth, who was nervous about her recent date with your older brother since they were going out to dinner and a movie, (Guy's Name) decided to take the time to speak about you as he leaned in closer to your blonde friend and asked, "Can I say something to you in private, Sam?"

"Sure. What's up?" Sam asked in concerned interest before your boyfriend shrugged, "I don't mean to be rude but I have to be frank with you about (Name)...Have you noticed her changing her eating or exercise patterns lately?"

"No, she's a perfectly healthy girl who exercises a lot so she can eat whatever she wants. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I don't know if it's just me but (Name) looks a little bit bigger to me lately. Maybe she would be happier and feel healthier, even sexier, if she would just lose twenty pounds or so...But I don't know how to tell her that without upsetting or offending her. What would you suggest?" (Guy's Name) responded as he looked to Sam for so-called 'guidance' before the blonde just stared at him with wide eyes bulging from both shock and anger at what he just said. There was NOTHING wrong with your body, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! You were a healthy weight for your age group and height with muscle, no fat, and you had voluptuous breasts and curves for days that many friends in your social circle wished they had naturally without the aid of push-up bras and squats. Besides, it was just as Sam said, you exercised a lot so you could eat junk food whenever you wanted. For (Guy's Name) to even suggest you were fat and ugly when you weren't was ridiculous, and it only confirmed Matt's story to be true. Therefore, Sam's reply expressed how angry she was to hear your boyfriend talk about your body behind your back to your best friend or even ask how to talk to you about your body when there was nothing wrong with it as she hissed with narrowed hazel eyes, "How about I suggest you say nothing to her? And you wanna know why? Because there's nothing wrong with her." 

"But she's been eating more nowadays and I'm just concerned about her health-" (Guy's Name) tried to explain before Sam shook her head angrily with a death glare directed at your boyfriend, "Oh, please, you're acting like a sexist, misogynist pig that cares more about how his girl looks rather than what's in her heart." 

"No, that's not it at all." Your boyfriend argued as Sam huffed under her breath, "Typical, and to think I actually believed that you cared about her, not her body. If you think I'm offended by you asking me that, imagine how offended (Name) would be if you told her that. If a boyfriend ever asked me that, I'd probably pimp slap him." 

"Okay, I'm sorry I said anything." (Guy's Name) held his hands up in surrender as he tried to calm the newly-awakened beast that was 'Mama Bear best friend' Sam before he begged, "You promise not to tell (Name) we had this conversation?"

"What do you think? She's my best friend and she deserves to know the truth. And if I EVER find out you told her that, then I will literally beat the crap out of you. Get the picture?" Sam replied as she death-glared your boyfriend before he nodded with a simple 'Yes, Ma'am' as you rounded the corner while laughing, "Oh, that Beth! I told her she'd be fine on her date with (Older Brother's Name) but she always freaks out ever since he asked to go with him to the local Starbucks for a coffee...So, what did I miss?"

"Nothing much, chica. Now come on, that vegetarian dish has our names written all over it and I'm eager to try it." Sam replied as she stood up and put her arm around your shoulders protectively with a smile on her face while you grinned back, "Even though I'm not a vegetarian like you, I'm willing to try it for you." 

"Vegetarian options are better than greasy, processed foods that make you fat anyways." Your boyfriend muttered under his breath when he thought you and Sam were out of earshot before you asked, "What was that, honey?" At the same time, Sam gave the scariest glare to your boyfriend as her arms crossed over her chest and she huffed angrily out of her nose like a bull ready to charge at a red cape while your boyfriend was overcome with fear, causing him to retract his statement as he shrugged, "Nothing. Just me speaking to myself." 

"Oh, okay." You shrugged back as you went back into the kitchen to help Samantha with the vegetarian meal while your boyfriend sat in the living room, watching television to avoid Sam's scary looks again. Honestly, he was afraid that if he said one more thing that Sam would tear his arm off like a puma and that she would convince you to make a meal out of him like a hungry Wendigo in the wilderness. 

Once you two were alone, Sam recounted the private conversation she had with your boyfriend and how she stood up for you on your behalf since you were absent from the room. You were shocked to hear that your boyfriend would say something like that about you in general. At least if he said it to your face, you could defend yourself. But he said it behind your back to your best friend, so it hurt more. You thanked your friend for defending you in your absence and when Sam asked if you were okay, you replied that you were. But because Sam knew you for years since elementary school, she knew you better than that. You internalized your problems so people wouldn't worry about you, so Sam knew better and she wanted to cheer you up since she felt bad that she had to tell an awful truth about what your boyfriend really thought of you and your body. This was why she asked if you wanted to spend the night the following week so she could invite all the girls to her house for another girls-only sleepover, just like when you were kids. Because you loved your best friend so much and always thought she threw the best sleepovers since she always remembered the snacks that each individual girl liked without messing up, you accepted as Sam hugged you tightly and told you how awesome of a human being you were before you two sat down at the table to eat. 

The more harsh and critical (Guy's Name) was of you, the more unfavorable your best friends saw him as. Maybe once, they would let it slide since stress could cause an individual to snap at loved ones by accident even though it was still no excuse to mistreat someone. But now, with a second incident of your boyfriend putting you down behind your back being reported to the group through text messages by Sam, everyone's opinion of (Guy's Name) bred only rage and contempt. It was just as Josh said to Matt: The more (Guy's Name) continued to put you down and treat you harshly, the more he would make a fool of himself and be constantly confronted by your best friends, who would always stand by you in full support because they had known you longer and loved you for you, ALL of you. Man, if you guys had a guidance totem right now, the prophecy made by Josh would come true, especially with a complete Butterfly Effect of past events that would later predict future incidents and confrontations between your best friends and your new boyfriend that would lead to a stunning conclusion. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

One month after the private and body-shaming conversation with Sam, Mike decided to throw a party at his house for EVERYONE in the school since his parents were out of town for a week. And since (Guy's Name) was a student at your school, he was invited to go too but instead of riding with him, you just drove your own car and met up with everyone (him included) there. 

Once again, after you left your boyfriend to go get a drink and a snack at the party but also so you could talk to Josh and Chris about the newest video game coming out (which Chris preordered because he was the tech guy of your social circle), (Guy's Name) tried to have a private audience with your best friends Hannah, Beth, and Emily in your absence. Just as could be expected, he broke your trust again by having conversations about you behind your back. It just started with a simple conversation about talking about teachers at school and the subjects you all were to learn in that year before it quickly switched to the topic of you and him as Emily decided to break the ice. She knew things were tense with you and (Guy's Name) already after he hurt your feelings twice already, but she wanted to get to the bottom of how serious they were in case she and the others needed to step in because she believed that smart people needed to stick together and if she could guide you down the right, smarter path, then she'd do so. 

Therefore, Emily spoke first while Hannah and Beth munched on some mini pretzels that the Beanie-wearing twin had stuffed in a cocktail napkin as she interrogated your boyfriend, "So, how are things with you and (Name)?"

"Umm, they're good...Yeah, they're good." Your boyfriend shrugged sheepishly as Emily narrowed her light brown eyes at his answer as your Asian best friend could sense some kind of hidden deceit in his tone and gestures, which suggested to her that he was hiding something that could possibly hurt your feelings and offend your best friends a third time. And from the way she stared into the chocolate eyes of the Washington twins, all three girls were thinking the same thing without any words being said among them in regards to you or (Guy's Name). 

Therefore, Emily decided to probe further to get to the answers she was looking for, determined to know why this dude seemed distant from you or seemed to be hiding a secret thought. However, when Beth made a joke about the hat that Josh had worn tonight, the mood seemed to lift out of the darkness as Hannah, Emily, and (Guy's Name) cackled loudly before Emily remarked, "You have such a nice laugh. (Name)'s a lucky girl since she probably hears that laugh a lot." 

"Well, I wouldn't call it lucky, I would call it an honor to date me because I have a great laugh and I'm just a great guy overall." (Guy's Name) boasted as he reclined back on the couch where he and the three girls were sitting before the three girls exchanged a single glance to each other to say it all: This dude was irreverent and arrogant and he knew it, but he didn't seem ashamed of it.  Therefore, Hannah asked for clarification as to what he meant as he fully explained himself, "I mean, I'm quite a catch because there's no one else like me."

"Well, there probably is." Beth quipped as a joke while Hannah laughed and Emily nodded silently before your boyfriend shook his head and argued Beth's joke with his own counter statement, "Even if there was, who would want her? She could probably befriend other guys but I couldn't see her finding another dating partner. I mean, look at her. She's so...nerdy like those geeks in the scholastic or debate teams that it's almost laughable...And thick too, I forgot to mention thick, but it's not a muscular thick; it's a husky or fat thick...I mean she's a nice girl and all, but sometimes she turns into a fake or a little naive twit because of how nice she is. 

"What?!" The three girls practically screamed as most heads turned towards them while the music still blared throughout the house before the heads turned back around when the yelling ceased as soon as it started. Once it was a conversation only involving the four of them, Emily and the Washington twins stood up from the couch as they berated your boyfriend for what he said, with Emily going first, "You know what? You're such a rude derelict who wouldn't know a good girl even if she gave him the palm of her hand to his face. I can't believe you would be that blind and not realize that YOU should be the one who's lucky because (Name) is an amazing human being and if you can't see that, then you don't deserve her."

"Well, sometimes, I feel like she doesn't deserve me because I could do better." Your boyfriend quipped back at Emily as the young woman with the 4.0 GPA shook her head with a huff before she did something out of the norm of her usual behavior. Rearing her hand back as much as she could, she put all the energy of her rage into her outstretched palm as she connected her five-fingered limb with his cheek, which nearly knocked him face-first off the couch as he grabbed the armrest to keep himself steady before he screamed, "What the crap?!"

"That was for talking smack about my friend behind her back because you don't have the guts to say it to her face, you sissy." Emily replied as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and sauntered away like a model on the runway before Hannah and Beth took their drinks and dumped them over (Guy's Name)'s head. Then, throwing the cups at his face in unison, the identical twins gave one last "Hmph" to your boyfriend as they stomped away from the couch and left him soaking wet from the drinks with a swelling bruise forming on his cheek from Emily's slap as he wondered what he did or said to deserve this.

Immediately after he did that, your three friends were seen stomping towards Matt and Sam as Emily growled, "Ughh! I hate that boyfriend of (Name)'s. He's such a heartless jerk." 

"What happened?" Sam asked as she tried to put her hand on Emily's shoulder to calm her down before the Washington twins spoke up, "He called (Name) fat again like he did in the conversation he had with you. But he also made fun of the fact that she's passionate about nerdy things like Josh and Chris are and he said her being nice was fake and made her a little naive twit." 

"He did what?" Sam and Matt yelled as the African-American football player rolled up his sleeves and growled out, "Oh, I'm gonna kick his ass! Where's he at? I'll do it right now!" 

"You're not gonna do anything to embarrass (Name) here at this party." Sam commanded as she pulled Matt back to her by the collar of his letterman jacket before she sighed, "Look, I know the guy is an arrogant jerk and we would all like to see her dump him like garbage in a trash can. But she needs to see make that decision for herself, not be forced to do it because of our actions. We know who he really is now because of the way he's talked about her either in front of her or behind her back, but she needs to see it for herself, so don't do anything to spiral this more out of control than what it already is."

"Yeah, but Sam, what if he starts getting physical and she starts coming to school with bruises on her body?" Matt asked before Sam responded, "Then we protect her, call the cops on him, and get her to see that she needs to dump him. For now, let's just play it safe and hope for the best." With that, Sam left the conversation to go speak to Mike about a new proposal for an extracurricular club while Emily leaned closer to Matt and admitted, "Don't worry, Matt. You clocked (Guy's Name) in spirit because I pimp-slapped him for all of us."

"And we dumped our drinks on him." Beth and Hannah chimed in before Matt high-fived all three of your best friends and chuckled out a 'Nice' while the girls giggled too at the fact that they literally slapped and soaked your boyfriend because of what he said in regards to his true thoughts on you, going against their usual norms of staying out of confrontation unless it directly involves them and someone else picked the fight. However, for you, they would do anything to ensure that you didn't get hurt, especially not by an arrogant boy who claimed he loved you but showed through his actions that you were nothing more than a conquest and a trophy that he could easily replace if he got bored of you. If someone really loved you, they wouldn't hurt you. And the more he offended your friends and hurt your feelings, the more it proved to everyone that (Guy's Name) was not the guy for you. 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

While (Guy's Name) was never physical in his abuse of you, his words that put you down emotionally and mentally cut into you like a knife as it tore at your very soul. With every insult came with an anxiety-induced thought in your head, which made you feel stupid, fat, ugly, and not very special. It caused insecurities that you had never even had in your life until you started dating this guy. Sure, you were a tough girl and could take care of herself from bullies because everyone in your group knew how independent and capable you were, but even a confident, self-sufficient like yourself could still be internally hurt by insults hurled at you like bullets. One such instance in front of your friends Ashley and Chris proved that fact. 

You had been invited over to Chris's house to come play the newest video game he bought for his PlayStation and you decided to tag along with Ashley, who wanted your honest opinion on a new fanfiction she was writing. Your boyfriend decided to stop by for a few minutes since he, Josh, and Chris were assigned to work together on a group project for computer class and he needed help with the assignment for just a few minutes to make sure he was on the right track. 

However, it had rained the night before and it was all cold and muddy outside, so when (Guy's Name) got out of his truck, his pants and boots were covered in mud. This caused Ashley to make a small joke about your boyfriend covered in mud that caused you to laugh at the top of your lungs because it was so hilarious. It was so subtle yet so hilarious that you couldn't help but laugh at Ashley's humor as she started to laugh too. 

Despite how funny it was, that joke only proceeded to add fuel to a fire burning inside of (Guy's Name) since he had heard every word Ashley said. This only prompted him to take his offended pride and anger out on you even though you didn't make the joke by screaming at you, "Why're you laughing like that and what are you laughing at, you dumb, fat, ugly oaf?" 

Where there was once laughter, it all died in a flash from your lips and your face as you suddenly went quiet while Ashley gasped at what your boyfriend just said to you. Fortunately for her and you, Chris also heard what your boyfriend had said as he called the young man inside the home so he could quickly help him with his assignment and send him on his way. But before he did so, he asked Ashley to take you upstairs to make sure you were okay while he told your boyfriend that what he said to you wasn't very nice and that he should maybe apologize. However there was no indication that (Guy's Name) would ever apologize to you for that since he seemed too prideful to admit fault in hurting your feelings again. 

In the meanwhile, Ashley comforted you upstairs as she hugged you close to her body while she asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." You shrugged as you hugged her back before the redhead told you, "Does he always talk to you like that?"

"Sometimes, but it's as I told Matt. Every couple fights." 

"But not like that. (Nickname), are you sure he hasn't done anything else to hurt you? You don't have to hide anything from me. I promise I won't tell anyone else if you don't want me to." 

"Ash, I promise, he only says little things that can hurt sometimes. Nothing I can't bear. But it's okay. I'm a big girl and I can handle myself." You tried to explain the situation as Ashley sensed that you were hiding what was really going on behind closed doors in regard to yourself and your complicated dating relationship with (Guy's Name) before she shook her head in civil disagreement,  
"No one should be treating you like that though. You deserve to be treated with respect like a decent human being and if he can't even do that, then he can go suck an egg." 

After chuckling lightly at Ashley's joke, you returned to your usual demeanor before you vowed, "Ashley, if anything happened, you and the others would be the first to know. But I can promise you that I'm completely fine."

"Okay, well, if you say you're fine, then I trust you." Ashley shrugged as you suggested, "Now you wanted to show me that new fanfiction you were writing and you wanted my help since the hurt/comfort and angst genre is new territory to you. So if you want, we could start now. You can even tell me all the juicy details on your crush on Chris if you want."

"Okay." Ashley nodded as she went to her backpack to get her laptop, still mulling it over in her mind about what just happened between you and your boyfriend. Although she wanted to do more to help, she knew she really couldn't since you weren't asking for help. She knew you didn't want her and the others to worry, but it still hurt that you suffered alone when everyone in your social circle knew how awful that guy treated you. Nevertheless, Ashley would try to cheer you up by doing the thing you both loved as she showed you the hurt/comfort and angst story she wrote featuring a female OC of her own creation. As you read the story, the events seemed to mirror what you were going through with (Guy's Name) until a nice young man swooped the female OC off her feet and showed her what true love was. And although you wanted to cry and scream and wish that (Guy's Name) would change and treat you the way you deserved to be treated, you just knew that would never happen. Past actions predicted future actions and with your current boyfriend, he wasn't a man of change, even if it cost you your self-worth and even your dating relationship. 

Even with Chris going upstairs to comfort you and make sure you were okay, he and Ashley both knew that something was not right with you because the more (Guy's Name) hurt you, the more melancholic you became. Eventually, only a shell of your former self was left, hidden by a flesh mask of sad smiles and laughs meant to fight the pain in your heart followed by a simple "I'm fine" or "It's nothing." While you seemed strong and unhurt by the yelling or the insults, still engaging in your nerdy passions and keeping your introverted personality even with all the times (Guy's Name) said he hated it and wished you were more of a girly party girl, it really did hurt. But as always, you saved face and kept it in since you didn't want everyone else to worry. They already had their own dramas and own problems and you didn't want to bother them with your boyfriend issues, even though they already knew about all the issues and wanted to help. Even though you knew that they had helped you before and would help you again because they were your best friends from childhood. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The fifth incident occurred at another party Josh threw at his home when his father and mother went out of town to help cast actors and actresses for a new project that the patriarch was planning for Hollywood's silver screen. For his guests, Josh invited all of his best friends from his social circle, including your brother and best friend as well as your cousin. He even begrudgingly invited (Guy's Name) even though he hated to see how the guy treated you and didn't want to invite him. Once again using your own car as transportation, you drove yourself, your male cousins, and your male cousin's best friend since you all wanted to be in attendance early so you could all hang out with Josh and the Washington twins before everyone else arrived. After a few minutes of waiting, everyone else arrived in tandem as drinks were poured and music blared throughout the house. At the party, your boyfriend was always standing or sitting beside you but he seemed so distant from you now of all times in the whole few months you both had been together. The tension was so thick that it was cutting a frozen-solid cake with a dull blade and everyone including you could feel it. Part of the tension was because you and (Guy's Name) had been distant since the incident with Ashley and Chris opened your eyes to the fact that you were being mistreated by your own boyfriend. However, you were about to be mistreated even more at this party and everyone was about to truly see how (Guy's Name) really treated women. 

As soon as Jessica was near him, wearing a short skirt and a revealing sweater that glided down off of one shoulder, (Guy's Name) did something that would be considered the promiscuous, lustful act of a hedonist with no regard for fidelity in a serious relationship as he wolf-whistled Jessica with a simple whistle from his lips, WHILE you were standing next to him. The first time he did it, Jessica ignored him even though she, Josh, and Mike heard it crystal clear like a ringing bell in a library. This only made Josh and Mike roll their eyes as the class president muttered 'Are you kidding me right now' under his breath while your blonde music-loving friend asked Josh and Mike, "What's he up to now?"

"He's already hurt her four times. Must he do it again?" Josh asked angrily before Jessica whipped around the moment (Guy's Name) slapped her butt as he wolf-whistled her again and screamed, "What do you want, you creep? You never seen a woman before?" 

"I have, but not one as beautiful as you." Your boyfriend replied with a lustful glossiness in his eyes that looked stoned as heavy alcohol could be smelled on his breath before Jessica turned down the flirting advances and shook her head, "Hmm, let me make this quite clear. First off, don't ever slap my ass ever again because that's not how you treat a lady. Second off, you have a beautiful young lady as your girlfriend and you should be paying her more attention than you are now."

"Why? She means nothing to me." (Guy's Name) drunkly waved his hand as if to shoo you away while your eyes expressed nothing but stunned sadness as you tried not to believe that your boyfriend thought so lowly of you even though he did say it and mean it without any remorse. This only angered Mike and Josh as Jessica's gray eyes widened at the thought of a man cheating on you before she hollered loudly enough to attract attention from everyone at the party, including other best friends who witnessed your boyfriend's mistreatment of you, "Oh, I know you just didn't say that! (Name) is a wonderful friend of mine and she could do so much better than you because you are so selfish and full of yourself, you frigging pervert!" 

"I keep hearing how great she is, so how come I don't see it?" Your boyfriend slurred as he pointed an accusatory finger at you, then himself, before your head dropped and with it, your facial expression. In that flash of time, Josh knew you were hurt because he knew what it was like to feel terrible about yourself since he had faced his own demons and was still fighting them. But seeing that much pain in your eyes broke his heart because he had known you first and he always knew when you were in pain. You were always there for him whenever he needed a ride to a psychiatric appointment with Dr. Hill or when was having bad side effects from his medication until you typed his symptoms into Google and suggested to Dr. Hill that maybe he was schizophrenic, which seemed to make his so-called depression go away once his medication was finally changed to something that actually worked. However, Josh knew you internalized your problems so people wouldn't worry about you since that's what he used to do to all of you whenever he was dealing with the hallucinogenic voices and images inside his head...until he got the courage to reach out. 

Therefore, Josh got the courage to stand up to your boyfriend as he hollered back, "Because you're blind if you really think that saying and doing some of the things you do to (Name) is okay and won't hurt her. You're also blind if you can't see how good you have it with her as your girlfriend. But right now, you're embarrassing yourself and her by acting like this in front of everyone and you're just showing everyone the real you."

"Just kick him out, Josh! He's being such a disgrace!" Mike yelled out as he pulled Jessica away from the argument while everyone just shook their heads and narrowed their eyes in anger at (Guy's Name) before Josh nodded, "It seems our class president is right. You're very drunk and disorderly so I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

"You can't kick me out! You don't have the right!" (Guy's Name) yelled as Matt quickly led you away from the growing screaming match between your best friend and your boyfriend as Josh pushed back, "I have every right! This is my house and I was left in charge by my father while he and my mom are gone."

"You've already done enough." Hannah chimed in as she pushed her glasses further up her nose with a livid huff escaping her mouth while Beth suggested, "So just so the decent thing and leave voluntarily and we'll call the cops and have them escort you out in handcuffs as we videotape your arrest and put it on YouTube for all of the school to see so they knew who you really are." 

"Walk away and don't ever think about showing your face around here again, because you won't ever be invited by any of us." Josh commanded as (Guy's Name) gulped before he stumbled his way to the door and slurred again, "Fine, I don't need this...(Name), we're leaving."

"I'm staying here. I came to see my friends, so that's what I'm doing." You replied as you finally stood up for yourself while everyone grinned at your courage before your boyfriend growled, "You already saw them. Now let's go, woman. I won't ask again." 

"And we won't tell you again. Our friend is staying and you're leaving. So just go or else these fast fingers will dial 911 so fast that you'll wish the sperm and egg that made you never met." Chris shouted from across the room before your boyfriend hissed obscenities under his breath while he roughly slammed the door and got his truck, angrily pedaling the gas as the engine rumbled down the street and his tires squealed. 

Once the situation had died down and he had left, you took a big sigh of relief as you couldn't believe you had done that. But in all honesty, you were kinda glad and unrepentant that you did stand up to him because a jerk like that deserved a taste of his own medicine after abusing you emotionally and mentally for months. In fact, many of your friends were congratulating you on how you finally showed him that you deserved respect and good treatment before Josh asked you, "Hey, you okay, (Nickname)?" 

"Never felt better." You sighed as the first genuine smile of happiness in months graced your youthful face as everyone else noticed that your smile was contagious because it brought smiles to their faces to see you be yourself again. All at once, Josh nodded with a small smile before he suggested, "I just wanted to ask because if you need to go take a breather or if you're done partying, you can take my bed for tonight. I'll text your parents and let them know you're spending the night."

"Nonsense. I came here to hang out and party with you guys, so let's get the music going and the dancing on!" You suggested as you pointed to Jessica and grinned with a wink, "Jess, would you do the honor of picking the tune?"

"My pleasure, hon." The blonde winked back with her own grin as she pressed a button on the stereo before a popular pop song blared through the large house as everyone got on the dance floor and circled around you so they could join in your jubilee at standing up for yourself as your body moved perfectly to the rhythm of the beat. 

While it seemed like all was right with the world since you stood up for yourself and even secretly planned to break up with (Guy's Name) later on that week, nothing could prepare everyone for your boyfriend's last slight against you out of spite. And when everyone eventually found out, it shocked them all to their cores, just as much as it shocked you. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The straw that broke the camel's back was the sixth and final event in the dating relationship with (Guy's Name). You had driven to your boyfriend's house to break up with him in a civil manner since you couldn't take much more of this abuse and you knew you felt stupid staying with him another minute longer due to the fact that you deserved better. But nothing could prepare you for what you were about to hear and see as soon as you entered his home by using the spare key he gave you once you two started going out. 

As soon as you came inside his house, you called out to him at the top of your lungs a couple times before you heard feminine giggling coming from upstairs followed by a male chuckle. As far back as you could think of, you never recalled (Guy's Name) mentioning he ever had a sister or a female cousin, not ever a female friend. So why you heard a female giggling upstairs, it was beyond your comprehension at that moment. However, as you rounded the staircase and came up to (Guy's Name)'s bedroom door, it all started to make sense as you heard a female voice giggle again, "Can you believe she's such an idiot? To think you actually wanted her when you really wanted me?"

"Don't worry, baby. I'd dump that fat twit in ten seconds flat if it meant I got to be with you because you're the love of my life." Your boyfriend responded lovingly before the girl's tone expressed true love as well, "And you're mine." 

"Then why don't you say it to my face?" You yelled as you slammed the door open before the girl covered herself up and hid away from your piercing glare while your boyfriend put his hands up in surrender as he came up to you, shirtless and clad in nothing but boxer shorts, "Now, baby, I can explain." 

"Oh, don't 'baby' me! I'm not your baby...So this is why you were growing distant from me for all those weeks, because you were cheating on me? I should've known!" You hollered with your hands gesturing wildly in the air to show your disbelief and wrath as your boyfriend knew he wasn't going to be able to explain this away or diffuse the situation before you pointed at the girl in bed, "And you! How dare you! You were my friend who introduced me to this guy, (Female Friend's Name), and I trusted you. Then you go around and sleep with my boyfriend WHILE we were dating! How could you?" 

"It just happened this one time. What's the big deal?" Your supposed female friend shrugged as she seemed to lack remorse for her actions of being a dating partner's mistress before you explained to her with your tone full and crisp so that all corners of the room could hear what you had to say,  
"How do I know this is the only time you two have been fooling around? It could be the hundredth time for all I know!" 

"Babe, please-" Your boyfriend tried to calm you down as you pulled away from the masculine hand that tried to grip your shoulder comfortingly before you yelled in his face, "Don't! Just don't touch me!...You know, I was gonna break up with you because I couldn't take this relationship with you anymore, but now, you've given me the perfect reason to break things off with you. I'm done, (Guy's Name). I hope you're happy and you got the skinny, intelligent, special girl you always wanted. Hope it was worth it to sleep around with my 'former' friend because now I got the picture...You're not the one for me and I deserve better. Now I finally know that." 

"Well, if you actually met my needs as a man, I wouldn't HAVE to sleep around." Your boyfriend screamed back to justify his actions before you pushed back, "You don't get to sweep this under the rug or invalidate my feelings and thoughts just because you're a horny jerk who always has to be in control!...I tried to please you by doing anything it took to make you happy in our relationship. But when I tried to conquer my fears of pre-marital intimacy and you finally got one look at me, you didn't even want me."

"Well, it's not my fault you're so disgusting." Your boyfriend hissed out as you narrowed your eyes angrily at him before you held your hands up in surrender and threw the spare key to your ex-boyfriend's home at him as you hissed back, "Have fun with the hussy I once called friend because you wanna know something? If he cheated on me, he'll cheat on you so don't you dare come crying to me when that happens because I won't help you." 

"Well, I can have my man and keep him too, unlike you." Your former female friend replied  before you turned your back on both of the people who betrayed your trust the most. Grabbing the knob to the bedroom door as roughly as you could, you slammed the wooden door with all your might as it made a loud bang against the wall to mimic the sound of your stomping out of your ex-boyfriend's home, leaving him and your ex-female friend stunned and half-naked on his mattress. They couldn't believe what they had just witnessed and thought THEY were justified in their actions but you, you were livid but also heartbroken because you thought love would find you and give you a good man. Fat chance! 

Hopping into your car, you sped back to your house as you packed a gym bag full of clothes, non-perishable snacks, and toiletries to last you for at least four days so you could safely call Sam without putting yourself in danger on the road but also so you could prepare to go spend the night at her house since you knew your blonde friend was pretty chill about you stopping by whenever you wanted. Therefore, it was no wonder that you tapped your fingers rapidly on the touchscreen as if you were killing spiders before waiting impatiently for her to pick up after hearing your phone ring for a full minute. After that minute had passed, Sam finally picked up as she asked, "(Nickname)? Hey, girl, what's up?"

"Sam, is it alright if I come over to your house? I need to get away for a while." 

"Yeah, sure. You got the spare key I gave you so you can let yourself in. I'll be in the kitchen and I'll make sure I have your favorite snacks here at the house. I'm also having Hannah and Beth over too even though they're gonna be a little late, if that's alright with you." Sam replied before you nodded solemnly on your end, "Okay, because we need to talk." This last sentence caused Sam to pause in her phone conversation with you as she noticed a hint of brokenness in your voice before her concern turned to action as she interrogated you as to why you seemed so upset, "(Nickname), is there something wrong?"

"I'll explain when I get there. But I gotta go. See you in a few." You responded quickly before Sam nodded on her end of the phone, "Okay, see you then. Drive safe." After hanging up with Sam, you took the time to write a note and leave it on the refrigerator for your parents so they would know where you were going to be at for the next four days before you got back in your car and sped off towards Sam's house. After about a ten minute drive, you let yourself in using the spare key she had made for you and that you kept with you at all times as you locked the door back once inside her humble abode before you noticed her rescue dog laying on the couch. After nuzzling your face against his snout, Sam's dog whined as it seemed as though the dog could sense your internal pain before the blonde dame greeted you from the top of the stairs, "Hey, girl. Welcome back." 

"Good to be back, Sam." You greeted back in a whisper while she noticed your melancholic expression and the unusual way you had your head hanging down or the way you seemed to be holding yourself as if to comfort yourself. This definitely wasn't the (Name) she knew when she was in elementary school and you definitely didn't seem like yourself. Sure, she knew part of the reason was because of (Guy's Name) but she also knew that you planned to break up with him since you couldn't take his senseless abuse anymore. However, there was no way to prepare her for what his latest act of emotional and mental abuse did to you and your self confidence now, even as she asked you what was wrong. 

Taking you upstairs to go pop in a movie and eat some of your favorite junk food, she sat with you on the bed with her rescue dog sitting on the floor at both of your feet before her arm wrapped around your shoulders as she waited patiently for your answer to her question. That's when all the flood gates broke loose as you started to sob uncontrollably. Covering your face with your hands, body shivering as if you were in the deadliest winter, Sam's heart broke with every sniffle and deep gasp she heard escape your lips before she hugged you tightly to her chest and patted your back. The whole time you cried, you just kept apologizing profusely as if you were the crazy one while she kept telling you that you had every right to feel the way you did and whispered sweet phrases such as 'there there' and 'let it all out.' Once she had managed to calm you down so you still had enough of your voice to speak, you apologized yet again for getting her shirt wet with your tears before she told you that it could be easily washed. Then, reaching her hand out to her bedside table to grab a tissue box, she handed the box to you as you wiped your eyes and blew out your nose before she asked, "What happened, (Name)? I rarely ever see you this upset." 

"Sam, I broke up with (Guy's Name)...but I found out he was cheating on me with (Female Friend's Name)." You admitted as you started sniffling again, prompting you to wipe your eyes with a new tissue from the box before Sam screamed out, "What? Are you serious?" 

"Why did I actually believe he loved me when it was obvious that he didn't? I'm so stupid!" You whispered in a broken tone as you wiped your eyes again before Sam hugged you close and shook her head, "No, that's not true and that wasn't right for him to do. You're not stupid; he just didn't appreciate what he had because you are a loyal and amazing person. He was the unfaithful one, not you..." 

After letting you cry for a few more minutes, Sam told you that if you wanted to tell her what happened from the beginning, you could and if not, you didn't have to. However, you decided to come clean because you needed all of your best friends right now and if you wanted to reach out properly like Josh did in regards to his mental illness and how he felt like a pill-popping freak until he was told otherwise by all of you, they deserved to know the truth about everything, even things that were meant to be kept between just you and (Guy's Name) because it was confidential, behind closed doors stuff. 

Therefore, you told Sam everything that happened when you went to your ex's house to break up with him and how he and your ex friend treated you after they were found out to be having an affair. When Sam heard about how they had no remorse for their actions against you, her head shook back and forth as angry huffs of air escaped her nose and her hazel eyes narrowed in contempt at your ex and his mistress, your ex friend. But when Sam learned about the reason why your former dating partner chose to cheat, her heart hurt for you because you were a straight-A student with a strong will, a silver tongue, a kind heart, and a career path set. But you also had curves for days and you were very voluptuous to the point of being sexy to anyone who would be lucky to lay eyes on you. Anyone would be lucky to meet you and get to know you as a person. So in Sam's mind, your boyfriend was a jerk who didn't get to really know you because he had materialistic and superficial needs that couldn't be satisfied by you, someone who wasn't materialistic, fake, or superficial. This was why Sam hugged you to her and comforted you as she told you that you were beautiful and intelligent and that he didn't deserve you because he CHOSE to sleep around with your former friend, the one who set you up with this guy in the first place, and he CHOSE to hurt you more than once by abusing you and cheating on you. When you even tried to blame yourself for what happened between you and him, Sam immediately squeezed you tighter to her chest as she told you that you shouldn't put the blame on you because 1.) a relationship takes two people to make it work and 2.) you WERE faithful and giving 110% the entire time in the dating relationship while he was UNFAITHFUL and he contributed 0% to the relationship. After a long pep talk and hugging session from Sam, you started to feel a little better but not 100% as your blonde friend started to notice in your gestures and facial expression that you were still upset and shaken up by this last act of deceit. However, she was willing to do whatever it took to make you feel better, so she asked you for permission to tell your other best friends about what happened because she knew that word would spread around the high school and she didn't want you to suffer anymore than you already had. After thinking it over a for a few minutes, you gave Sam your permission since everyone deserved a right to know due to the fact that they were not blind to the way he mistreated you and even stood up for you when you were absent to stand up to (Guy's Name) yourself. Therefore, while Sam let you choose something on TV to watch in her room, the blonde crafted a long group text that perfectly summed up what happened between you as well as the jerk you used to date and the girl you thought was your friend  today when you enacted your plan to break up with him. After letting you read it to make sure she still had permission to send it and reveal the entire truth, you gave Sam the okay with a simple nod of your head before she pressed the 'send' button on the touchscreen before she left her phone on and her screen unlocked in case anyone replied back. 

At Jessica's house, she and Emily were hanging out and having their own slumber party as they were sharing a packet of double-stuffed Oreos while watching The Princess Bride, their favorite children's movie. After crying together at the scene where Westley died from the torture machine, Jessica and Emily heard their phones go off in unison as a ringtone personalized for Sam by Jessica went off with the chorus of a popular song she loved while Emily's buzzed in her back pocket five times. At once, the pigtailed beauty answered her phone first as she opened up her text messaging app before she replied, "Hey, Em, it's a group text from Sam. Did you get the same message?"

"Got it, Jess." Emily nodded as she checked her text message from Sam too before Jessica screamed at the top of her lungs and nearly smashed her phone screen-first into the floor due to her anger at the content of the message, "Oh my God! What an ass!"

"What? What is it?" Emily asked her best friend as Jessica answered, "(Guy's Name) cheated on (Name) before they broke up and she caught him in the act."

"Jeez, that's a low blow. If he was in front of me right now, I'd take turns with (Name) slapping him." Emily vowed before Jessica added, "But get this, he cheated on (Name) with (Female Friend's Name)." 

"She's the chick who introduced them to each other in the first place. If a friend ever did that to me, oh, I'd get my revenge in the sweetest way possible." Emily explained before Jessica nodded in agreement, "Okay, Emily, you're good at trolling people's social media. We should find her current location and pay her a little visit." 

"We should." 

"But first, we gotta see if our girl's okay. I don't like to hear that my fellow music connoisseur is heartbroken over some guy who elects to treat women like sexualized objects of pleasure that you can just toss aside when you're done using them." 

"I second that because (Name) is such a smart girl who just got mixed up with the wrong guy. Me and her couldn't have even known that the guy would treat her like that, but if I ever see him again, I'll slap him again even if it sends me to detention." 

"Can I join? I could use a new set of jewelry, and by jewelry, I mean brass knuckles." Jessica joked as she and Emily giggled at their threats against your former boyfriend and friend before they sent a text to you to check in with you and make sure you were okay. 

Meanwhile, Matt was at Taco Bell with Ashley since they had a English test to study for and he needed help because the football player didn't understand the ending or themes of the novel required for class. Plus, who didn't like Taco Bell even if it wasn't a Tuesday? After explaining the theme of love in regards to social class to Matt, he and Ashley heard their phones chime in their back pockets as the African-American male reached for his smartphone first before the red-haired bookworm put down her English notebook to grab her phone from her backpack. After opening the lock screens to check their text messaging app, the two teenagers noticed that it was Sam sending everyone a group text before Ashley began to speed-read the content, which made her gasp lightly with wide green eyes as she pointed at the screen to one particular paragraph of interest as she suggested, "Matt, you might wanna look at this..." Leaning closer to Ashley by scooting his chair over, Matt took the phone from her as he read through the message before his expression twisted into nothing but pure rage as he handed the phone back to Ashley, who was very upset and near tears with her bugged-out green eyes at what she just read. At the same time, Matt clenched the table in his hands as tightly as he could while he closed his chocolate eyes to contain the beast that was festering inside due to what he read too. It couldn't be true, could it? This really didn't happen to you, right? WRONG! The events listed in the text DID happen in the order they were said to occur and its Butterfly Effect only caused you great heartbreak and insecurity over your body image and value as a person. It was obvious to everyone that the relationship with you and (Guy's Name) wouldn't last because they knew you wouldn't let a man mistreat you for long without snapping. But they never expected for (Guy's Name) to torment you for this long or have the last word in by doing something this horrible to you on top of calling you so disgusting that it caused him to have no choice but to cheat. This only made Matt and Ashley more upset as the redhead gasped, "I can't imagine what she's going through. If a guy ever treated me like that and said those things, I know it would break my heart. But some of those things he said about her body and just her as a person...That's just a blow to her self-confidence. I hope she doesn't actually think  what he said to her was true."

"Knowing her, she's probably heard it for so long coming from him that she'll doubt herself for a while. But I also know that (Name) can bounce back from this. It'll take time and it won't be easy, but I hope we can do something to help." Matt sighed sadly as he looked at Ashley before she nodded back in agreement, hoping silently for the same thing as the football player. 

At the gym after lifting weights, Mike decided to take a breather as he drank from his water bottle before he started to head off to the showers. However, he noticed Sam's number flash on his phone followed by what looked like a long-winded text message as the brunette with the brown eyes opened his lock screen to reveal the text messaging app before he scanned his eyes over the words. Comprehending everything he read, Mike couldn't believe what he was seeing as he shook his head before he muttered under his breath, "That jerk..." Thinking about his own promiscuous attitudes sometimes and his own relationship with Emily, Mike realized that he had the potential to turn into a (Guy's Name) if he wasn't careful and if he was given the right life circumstances along with certain moral choices. Covering his mouth with one hand after dragging it down his face, Mike read the text again to make sure that he understood every word correctly the first time before he made an internal vow. From this day forward, he would NEVER become your ex and he would never do to any girl, including his current girlfriend Emily, what that jerk and your former female friend did to you. Therefore, he decided to do the right thing and send a text to Sam, asking her if you were okay and if there was anything he could do to help you. Sam's only reply was that you needed some serious down time to relax without being reminded of what happened that day and that you were doing as well as any girl who witnessed their boyfriend cheat on them with their female friend and then justify their actions by calling her dumb and disgusting could. Texting back that he understood, Mike told Sam that he'd wait to text you back later to make sure that you were okay before he threw his phone into his gym bag so he could take a shower and drive back home. 

Finally, at Josh's house, he and Chris were playing multiplayer on some first-person shooter game as the blonde was nearly creaming the future Hollywood director while Hannah and Beth were upstairs, getting ready to leave for Sam's house even though they knew they were running late. However, a familiar ringtone from Beth's back pocket alerted her to the fact that only Sam could've sent a message as she answered the text. Reading through the green word bubble on her touchscreen, Beth's chocolate orbs widened in surprise as she gritted her pearly whites in anger before Hannah asked, "B, what's the problem?" Adjusting her glasses so she could keep them from sliding down her nose, Hannah grabbed her sister's smartphone and held it in place before she gasped with her hand over her mouth as she shook her head several times while whispering, "Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no...He didn't. Not to (Nickname). Not with (Female Friend's Name)." 

"He did, Hannah Banana...Poor (Name). She was going to break up with him anyways but he didn't need to go do that. That's a jerk move, way below the belt." Beth sighed angrily as if frustrated by constant disappointments because of certain humans while her younger twin seemed ready to cry if her chocolate irises were any indication of the empathy she felt for your plight. At once, both sisters decided to go tell their brother and his best friend of what happened to you according to Sam's text based on your truthful accounts as Beth and Hannah raced down several flights of stairs without tripping over even one wooden plank before the Beanie-clad twin shouted, "Alright, drop the controllers and pause the PS4 or I'll unplug the system from the wall."

"Is it an emergency? If not and you unplug the machine, I'll hurt you." Josh replied as Chris nodded in agreement before Hannah pleaded, "It's about (Name) and (Guy's Name). Something awful happened today." Upon heading that something happened to you, Josh slammed that pause button down as far as it would go as he threw the controller to the side of the couch while Chris gently placed his controller down on the coffee table and stood up from the couch beside Josh, whipping around like Linda Blair as they openly listened to what the twins were about to say in regards to you. To break the awkward silence and the tense severity of the situation, Chris spoke up first as he asked, "Beth, Hannah, what happened?"

"Sam sent a text and she said (Name) keeps saying she's fine but it's obvious she's heartbroken." Hannah explained before Josh asked, "Why do you say that? She was breaking up with the guy." 

"And she did...AFTER she found out he was cheating on her with (Female Friend's Name)." Beth reminded everyone with her arms crossing over her bosom with every word that poured out of her mouth before Chris and Josh's jaws dropped in unison as the darker-haired young man muttered, "You're kidding me." 

"Would I lie about something that important, especially if (Name) is the heartbroken one?" Beth retorted as it practically sounded like she was screaming before Chris interrogated further into the matter, "Why would he do that?" 

"It gets worse. Read this little passage from the story." Beth commanded as she pushed the phone near Chris and Josh before she repeated the quote, "Claimed she was the sole cause for him having no choice but to cheat because she was so disgusting to look at...Disgusting! That's what he calls her! He's the disgusting one, that jerk!" 

"She's the most beautiful girl I've ever met. She's got the prettiest (Hair Color) hair and it's so shiny and soft...But her hair is also (Hair Length) and (Hair Texture), and you guys know I've always liked that kinda hair on a girl. And those sparkling eyes that just stare into your soul and learn everything about you all while healing you...So I don't know why in the heck (Guy's Name) told her that! It's not true." 

"You're darn right it's not true." Chris chimes in to add to Josh's statements about you before he explained himself more, "While I openly admit I have a crush on Ashley and still do, I still think (Name) is gorgeous and kind, so that jerk is wrong. It's ridiculous to think that a guy could actually say that to a girl and not feel bad about it but to also imply that because he has a problem with her body that it gives him the right and the excuse to cheat on her with her friend is just beyond wrong. It's absurd and so fitting for a pig like him."

"I feel so bad for her. To think we all actually gave this guy a chance and even a second chance only for him to blow it." Hannah sighed deeply before Beth suggested, "Maybe we should go over there to Sam's and see if (Nickname)'s okay. We promised we'd spend the night at her place." 

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go, B."  

"Can we come with you?" Josh asked before Beth shook her head, "No, we'll be fine with just us. We don't want to overwhelm her since Sam said to Mike in the group text that (Name) needs to take a break from people and life before seeing us in person again."

"What if I call her later? I just have to hear her voice and know she's okay. I've known her the longest and I know she'll talk to me." Josh suggested as his green eyes glazed with tears before Beth nodded, "I think that would be okay. Maybe she'd be up for talking with everyone over the phone later once she's had a few hours to cool down. But we've gotta go, guys." 

"You be sure to update us on how she's doing." Chris begged as he stood beside Josh before Hannah nodded back to the blonde, "We promise. We'll just use the group text to keep everyone in contact and let everyone know what's she's feeling up to doing." 

"Drive safe." 

"Thanks. We will." Hannah called back to Chris from over her shoulder as she and Beth grabbed their backpacks full of everything needed for a sleepover and practically sprinted to the Beanie-clad twin's four-door vehicle. Once the twins were inside the car with their seatbelts on, Beth sped off quickly down the road as Josh and Chris watched from the window before the blonde muttered, "Gosh, I hope (Nickname)'s okay." 

"Me too, Cochise. Me too." Josh sighed deeply as his green eyes diverted to the side before he pondered about you, praying inwardly to any deity out there that you were okay now and that you would be protected against any more danger or heartbreak in the future. If it's one thing Josh hated to see or hear about, he hated to see you upset and if you were crying, then God needed to help whoever hurt you because Josh was gonna kick the crap out of them. So to know that your ex hurt you by tearing down your self esteem and your self worth for so many months before you broke up with him only to commit the ultimate dating sin by cheating on you with your former friend, it nearly caused Josh to have a nervous breakdown. Nothing stressed him out more than his own insecurities about being a resident from the looney bin. But you being stressed to the point of hating your body and your very essence that made you special in the eyes of all your best friends, it rocked Josh to his core because you were now in his position. You had friends and you reached out for help after a while of trying to handle life's toils by yourself. But you still felt alone and trapped in a constant war with your inner demons and if Josh knew anything about inner demons from his own personal experience, he knew fighting them or even conquering them so you could love yourself again would never be easy. Your demons would push you to do terrible things to yourself in order to prove that you were alone and unloved and they would even deprecate your self worth and self esteem until you were nothing but a numb, empty shell of the person you once were. But if you conquered them, if you truly learned to love yourself again in the same way that others who truly loved you saw you, you would come out of the experience wiser and stronger. Therefore, Josh was sure of himself when he thought of possible things to do or say to make you feel better when he called you later before he and Chris waited upstairs in the darker-haired boy's room for any text updates from Hannah and Beth, who immediately hugged and comforted you as you cried and explained everything about what happened again the moment they stepped inside Sam's house.

Sure enough, Hannah and Beth were very good at keeping everyone posted about you as they told the others that while you were glad to not be with (Guy's Name) anymore, you were still hurt by all he had done and said to you since it really broke your heart and caused doubt to fester in your heart, creating insecurities that spread to your mind like metallic poison through the bloodstream. Every compliment, every nice sentence uttered to you, you doubted that anyone meant what they said because months of having (Guy's Name) jam insults down your throat in order to "motivate" you to be a better version of you caused you to become skeptical of people's intentions behind their words. Even when you knew your friends and family meant every compliment, you just couldn't stomach the thought that the compliments were true because you hated yourself, no thanks for your ex. Most days, you just wanted to curl up into a ball and cover your body while you cried because you couldn't fathom a reflection of beauty staring back at you in the mirror. In fact, you wished you could smash mirrors left and right so you wouldn't even have to look at yourself ever again. But, there was a small shred of you that wanted to love yourself again and believe in the power of the word "beautiful" as well as in the strength of true, unconditional love. Luckily for you, your best friends would rally around you to show you how much of a wonderful, special human being you were over the course of the next few weeks.

To begin the long process of helping you heal from a failed, emotionally/mentally abusive dating relationship and a bad breakup, Josh decided to throw a winter get-together at the cabin his parents owned in the Blackwood Mountains and he invited you, your male cousins, and your cousin's best friend to tag along too. Knowing that Josh was just trying to help and knowing that his get-away parties were always the best, you agreed to go since you could really use a vacation and you loved the snow up there on that mountain. But the entire few weeks before winter break, your best friends showed their love for you in different ways and tried to hang out with you after school separately before the trip. 

Right after your comforting, relaxing sleepover with Sam, Hannah, and Beth on the day you broke up with your current ex, Ashley invited you to come over to her house after school since she had dabbled in some song lyric writing and wanted you to critique it since you were such a good writer and you wanted to go into the Fine Arts business like Josh. After having dinner with her and her parents, you two went upstairs as you grabbed her laptop and read the poetic song. But as your eyes continued to scan the scrolling white canvas marked by ebony letters, tears came to your eyes as your (Skin Tone) hand swiped below your eyelids before you used your long sleeve to dab your eyes some more. You didn't know why you were crying, but somehow the story that the song portrayed struck a personal cord because it wasn't just a multi-chapter fanfiction. It was a gorgeous song of Ashley's creation that was outside her norm, with the story told from the first-person narration of a teenage girl loosely based on you, who went through the same scenario as you and was hurting inside until she heard from her multitude of best friends and family that she was beautiful and that she deserved respect and love again. The narrator even managed to find a man who loved her for just being herself and they went on to get married and have a family in their own little patch of land. And all at once, the flood gates caved in as tears streamed down your face and quiet sobs wracked your breathing patterns before you beckoned Ashley to come towards you for a tender hug, which caused the redhead to silently shed tears too as she rested her head on your shoulder with your head on her shoulder. Clutching to each other for what seemed like hours even though it was really only a few minutes, you and Ashley continued to hug each other before you whispered, "Thanks, Ash. It was such a beautiful song."

"I'm glad you liked it, (Nickname), because I thought maybe you could sing it for the others whenever you're ready. I always loved your writing and your music, so I decided to take a whack at it." Ashley replied before you nodded, "Well, you did well. It seems as though the protégé became the master." 

"Thanks." Ashley smiled back as she closed her eyes and relaxed into the hug again before you smiled back, "You're welcome." 

A couple days after seeing Ashley and even helping her turn her song lyrics into an actual song that you two sang and recorded on her phone, Jessica invited you to go shopping with her at the mall and although you seemed hesitant since you didn't really like to shop, you eventually gave in when the blonde gave you her signature puppy dog eyes and pouted her little pink lips at school. So, here you were, walking around the mall after you two took her car, before the blonde noticed a store that sold lingerie and feminine unmentionables, which prompted her to beg to go in there since she needed a new panty and bra set due to her other one being old and worn beyond repair. Giving her a nod of permission, Jessica also offered to buy you a bra and panty set too since she didn't want you to go home empty-handed (even though she had bought you some new makeup that she hand-picked while still using your input too because she knew it would actually compliment your features rather than masking them from view because of the many caked-on layers) even though you insisted she didn't. However, if it was one thing you knew about Jessica and even Emily, they didn't take no for answer because they knew how to get what they wanted. 

Therefore, dragging you by your dominant hand, Jessica shimmied her way through the maze of metal clothing racks until her eyes laser-focused on a white bra and panty set that had green and pink star or flower-looking patterns on it. At once, a gleam filled her grey irises as she smirked mischievously before she muttered, "Perfect!" Once she walked over to the clothing with you and picked it up, after seeing the price tag was reasonable for the well-made bra and panty set, Jessica held onto it as if she were Gollum with the One Ring before she told you, "Okay, (Nickname), your turn." 

"Oh, no, I don't think that's a good idea, Jess. I really don't need a-" You tried to protest before the blonde shook her head and created a counter statement on the fly, "Oh no, all girls could use an extra bra and panty set. Now let's figure out what patterns and colors go well with you and let's see you model them."

"I'm no model." You mumbled as you shook your head, which hung low in sadness, before Jessica asked you honestly, "Who says?"

"I'm just...I'm not like you. I'm not naturally pretty, Jessica. I have to actually put effort into my appearance because I'm so insecure and nerdy that it makes me an anxiety-ridden basket case just thinking about myself." You explained as teary eyes stared brokenly at the many metal racks of pricey lingerie as well as bra and panty sets before Jessica sat you down and tried her best to cheer you up, "Listen, girl, we all get insecure. You think my attitude in public is the same when I get in front of my mirror alone?...Nope, you know how I always pick myself apart and compare myself to others. But I just want you to know that you're always a model to me because girl, I wish I had as much butt and as many curves as you do."

"But you're beautiful just the way you are."

"And you are too. Who cares what others think? They got nothing on you and your curves. Any man would be lucky to have you and be able to see those curves anytime they wanted." Jessica replied to cheer you up before you decided to make a joke to lighten the mood so you wouldn't cry in public, "Are you trying to flirt with me, Jess?" 

"Believe me, if I didn't like men so much, I'd be wanting to date you now." Jessica quipped back as you two started to laugh before the blonde grabbed lacy lingerie and a bra and panty set from the rack in front of her while she urged you back into a dressing room so you could try it on. She even suggested that you might like those items she picked because it was in your favorite color and it looked like it would show off all the assets that the Good Lord gave you, which made you giggle and agree to try the feminine clothing on before Jessica told you that she wouldn't be far behind since she would model with you if you modeled for her. That entire day you spent with Jessica, you two modeled lingerie, bras, and panties together as the blonde took pictures and even turned on some music to set the mood so you two could walk around and pretend the dressing room was your catwalk. You two were even complimented by the employees who saw you two having a good time as you and Jessica thanked them for the nice compliments before you two left with your new purchases. All in all, you both were satisfied that you had a good laugh but also that you both felt comfortable in your own bodies again after a long while, even with insecurities of your own that would sometimes creep up every so often to harm your self-esteem. However, while (Guy's Name) made you hate yourself by chiseling away at your body image, Jessica made you love yourself by rebuilding confidence in your body image. Where your ex saw fat in places where fat shouldn't be, Jessica and the others saw you endowed with a natural bosom and derrière because of your thickly-muscled, voluptuous physique. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and with Jessica, she made you see yourself the way she and the others saw you. You had always been beautiful; you just needed to see it for yourself in order to believe it. Therefore, every time you saw yourself in a bra and panties after a shower, you started to complement yourself rather than bully yourself, knowing that one day, true love would find you again and it would bring you a man who would love you, nerdy passions, curves, and all. 

Next up to cheer you up was Matt. This football player was a people-pleaser who was as loyal as he was hot-headed, especially when his loved ones got hurt. When Matt heard about the breakup, it left him fuming and wanting to clock your ex for what he did to you. But when Matt heard about how you hated your body and just all of yourself in general, it broke his heart because he was a single guy and a friend who thought you were really sexy. Sure, he didn't really understand why you liked books so much or what was actually going on in certain fandoms you enjoyed, but when you got out on a dance floor with him because everyone else had to be 'too cool,' Matt thought you made a good partner since you could line-dance better than even the best Youtube dancers. The Cupid Shuffle, The Cha Cha Slide, The Wobble, if you named a popular line dance, you could bet all the money in your back account that you and Matt would do it on the dance floor together. Therefore, Matt decided to let you come dancing with him as he took you as a friend/date to a school dance alongside Josh, your second friend/date (even though he had already graduated high school and was in college studying Fine Arts and psychology), since the three of you were single and ready to mingle. Garbed in a (Favorite Color) frock that reached your (knees/ankles) while you had one sexy man on each arm, you noticed all of your best friends beside you as Sam, Hannah, and Beth greeted you warmly with a hug before they remarked at how beautiful you looked that night. After thanking them for the nice complements and praising them for their beauty too, you and your boys decided to get a drink of punch as you all shared some cookies wrapped in a napkin. Once you three were done with the cookies, Josh reached over to the nearest trash can to throw the trash away before you three went back to sipping punch and staring at people. Looking left, then right, Josh's cat-green orbs stared daggers at one couple as he slapped Matt's elbow before he coughed out, "Cheater alert!" Once he had gotten your attention, you and Matt turned around and noticed a nice shirt and pants-clad (Guy's Name) and a frock-wearing (Female Friend's Name) as they were giggling and all up on each other. Rolling your eyes in unison as a trio while muttering obscenities under your breath, you, Josh, and Matt just stared daggers at the new couple as you all shook your heads before the DJ announced that he would be playing two line dances to spice things up after the song "Walk it Out." Once the music of that song started to play, you downed the rest of your drink in one gulp before tossing it into the trash can as Matt and Josh copied you before the future Hollywood director announced, "I can't believe they're here. Let's show them how much fun you can have as a newly single girl not tethered to that ass." 

"If anyone can line dance, it's you." The football player replied before he let you grab his and Josh's hands as you led them to the dance floor and winked, "Let's dance." Then, as the chorus started to repeat, you began to dance wildly like a professional hip hop performer while Matt and Josh joined you, whooping and cheering as a circle formed around you. Shimmying through the circle to see too, your other best friends cheered for you while Chris video-taped the whole dance you did on his phone as Ashley urged you on by cheering and giving you a "You rock, girl!" Jessica even started dancing too as she tapped the shoulders of other bystanders who were cheering you on before she shouted out, "That's my sexy best friend!" With you twerking and gyrating all around on either your tip-toes or on flattened feet, Matt and Josh danced circles around you as you all had a good laugh and an even better time while (Guy's Name) and (Female Friend's Name) looked at you in awe that you were having a good time, even after breaking things off with both of them only a few weeks to a month ago. However, if your heart hurt inside to see them at that winter dance, it definitely didn't show as you and your best friends danced the night away, with Chris acting as cameraman while doing The Running Man challenge with you and everyone else at school whistling and yelling praise to egg you on. Honestly, that night was the best one of your life because you were surrounded by best friends with your parents as chaperones along with some of the teachers, which showed you how well-loved you were and how much you DIDN'T need (Guy's Name) and (Female Friend's Name). 

Emily was the fourth to cheer you up by taking you out to a trivia night at a local restaurant since you were the best at pop culture and literature questions and she was the best at history and math questions. After ordering some chicken wings since it was Emily's cheat day after weeks of dieting so she could fit in her winter dance dress and still fit in the clothes that she would wear for Josh's winter get-together at the mountain lodge his parents owned, you two teamed up together against several other teams who were going against you two that night for the prize of two $200 gift cards to Emily's favorite clothing store. Since you knew she needed a new luggage bag for the upcoming winter vacation and you needed a new winter jacket, you both needed to be on your A-game in order to win. After about two hours of taking out the rest of the competition, it was down to you and Emily versus two college frat guys as the final question was as follows: "Many authors use initials for their first and even middle names followed by a full spelling of their last name. Therefore, for the author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit as well as The Silmarillion, what does the J. R. R. stand for in J. R. R. Tolkien's name?" 

Coming in close to Emily, the Asian beauty looked to you for answers as she whispered in your ear, "I know the J. stands for John but I don't know about the two R's."

"He's one of my favorite authors. So I definitely know it. Let's see these college frat boys try to get it." You smirked as you wrote down your answer on the paper provided by the waiters before they took the white sheet as Emily nodded and looked to you with sparkling brown eyes, "You're the literature genius, so I trust you." 

"Don't worry, chica. I'll get you that new leather bag you've been eying faster than you can say Gucci or Berkin." You reassured your friend as Emily squeezed your fist in her  palm as she muttered, "Let's hope so." 

"Ladies and gentlemen, the sudden death tie round is done and both our teams have answered." The owner of the restaurant announced on a handheld microphone before he reintroduced everyone else to the two teams remaining, "From Zeta Psi, our Latin American soccer stars and all-around good guys, in the left corner...Martin and Brent!....And from our local high school, our hottest and smartest competitors, in the right corner...Emily and (Name)! Let's give a big round of applause to all who competed tonight." After the restaurant roared with cheering, owner Mac Clark of MC's Wings & Brew quieted the crowd with a wave of his hand before the looked to the frat boys as he asked, "Now, our trivia question was 'what does the J.R.R. in J.R.R. Tolkien stand for? Brent and Martin, what did you answer with?"

"Joseph Robert Richard Tolkien." Brent and Martin answered in unison before Mac nodded and turned to you and your best friend, "Good answer. And finally, ladies, what did you answer with?" 

"John Ronald Reuel Tolkien." You and Emily answered together before Mac waited a few moments and answered, "Good answer...Now, the winner of the two $200 gift cards and the champion for our 25th anniversary of Trivia Night is...Drum roll, please."  With heavy tapping filling the restaurant, Mac let the suspense build for the night as several minutes ticked by before he waved to silence the crowd as he shouted, "Congratulations...Emily and (Name)! You are the champions of Trivia Night and the winners of our grand prize. But Martin and Brent, you're not going home empty-handed. You two still get a $50 gift card to MC's Wings & Brew." 

After the college boys congratulated you and Emily for winning the game fair and square by shaking your hands while you both did the same, you and Emily received the gift card as your Asian best friend hugged you tightly and thanked you for helping her win her $200 card before you remarked that you knew you'd do it for her since she definitely deserved it for all she did, standing up for you in your absence and slapping your ex when he bad-mouthed you behind your back. This only made Emily smile at you, no strings attached for something in return, just a genuine smile since she knew that you really did like her as a friend and that you were appreciative of what she did for you while you were with your ex, even if she could be a mean ice queen sometimes. Afterwards, you and Emily decided to go spend your dual $200 cards in the clothing store as you looked for your new winter jacket and she looked for a new luggage bag before she remarked, "That was fun, Trivia Night and all." 

"Yeah, I was always wondering when we'd get to do that again. We haven't gone to MC's and eaten wings while playing trivia since...sixth grade? Eighth grade? Gosh, it's been so long that I can't even remember." You sighed in longing as you thought back to the days when things were simpler and drama or insecurity didn't plague your young life because of some guy. It seemed as though Emily read your mind as she sighed too before she asked you, "Yeah...I bet that when you were with (Guy's Name), it wasn't as fun at Trivia Night as it was with me." 

"Actually, I invited him to come to MC's Trivia Night once." You began your story before Emily leaned in to learn more with sparkling brown eyes, "And?"

"He stood me up to hang out with his friends. So I sat there alone, eating wings while watching the competition because I didn't have my favorite partner with me." You finished your story as (Eye Color) orbs descended to stare at the floor as you clutched one of your arms with your opposite hand before Emily stared at you, wide-eyed like she had seen a ghost, before she asked you, "(Nickname), why didn't you call me? You know I would've driven out here to keep you company and be your teammate again. I would've even cussed (Guy's Name) out or trolled his social media and tracked him down so I could slap him if you wanted me to." 

"I know you would've and I appreciate it...But I guess I didn't want to admit how bad the relationship actually was. I should've seen that he was already slipping away but he was my first boyfriend so I didn't have the experience to see the signs or understand that the way he spoke to me was mental and emotional abuse." You mumbled as you still clutched your arm but this time made eye contact with Emily before she brought you into a large hug. Hugs and smiles were not really Emily's thing since she wasn't a big fan of PDA, but you were the only exception because you melted this ice queen's heart with your unconditional warmth and love. That's why Emily's smiles and hugs meant to much to you as you accepted her embrace proudly before she reassured you, "Honey, you don't have to ever hide what's going on with me or any of us. I get that you wanted to try and keep it together because that's what you've always done. You've always been our rock and you were the first one that rallied around Josh when he started to have mental health issues. Now, it's time you let us be your rock. I'll tell you this much: We know it's not easy to have a breakup, especially not one like this, and we know it's not easy to go through what you did...But we think you've been doing really well with healing from it and we're so proud of you. You're a loyal friend and a beautiful, smart, kind human being that I've had the privilege of knowing. And I'll admit, it's kinda nice to hang around you so I don't have to keep up my image of hating people and PDA." 

"You mean it?" You grinned as tears filled your eyes but never fell before Emily nodded against your shoulder while she quipped,  
"100%. I wouldn't say I like you unless I actually meant it since I hate the majority of people." With that, you and Emily ended the hug as you two grinned at each other like true friends would before you two finished your shopping spree so you could head home. 

With Mike acting as the fifth best friend to prevent you from going down in the dumps, he decided to make you happy again by taking you to a local pet shelter since he knew you loved animals, especially the canines and felines they always put on display in the little play pens. After a meeting for student council so you both could discuss new fundraising ideas with the drama program as well as a new idea from you regarding getting more psychiatric professionals hired at the school to help students with mental illness (since you claimed you personally knew people, Josh included even though you didn't specify names to keep private information confidential, who suffered and felt like just talking to a guidance counselor or teacher who maybe didn't understand mental illness wasn't enough), Mike asked you to come with him since he liked to look around the store even though he wasn't allowed to have pets in his home since his parents thought they were nothing but dirty money pits. With Emily's permission and blessing (since she knew you were loyal and wouldn't steal her man, not that you were interested anyways since you and Mike only viewed each other as friends and nothing more), you and Mike met each other at the pet shelter as you noticed they had some German Shepherd puppies on display in the play pen as well as one Siberian Husky that seemed about a year old and was as white as snow with heterochromia to create one gold eye and one blue eye. Climbing into the play pen as you sat down with your legs crossed over each other, the puppies hopped to you as laughter laced your every breath before some puppies climbed into your lap to take a nap and the runt of the litter decided to bring you a toy bone made of blue rubber (which the poor puppy could barely carry in his mouth because he was so little and the toy so heavy) so you could throw it for him and he could fetch it back for you. After an hour or so of throwing the toy and having the puppy return it to you, he just laid on his stomach and chewed on the toy lazily as you held it out for him in your sitting position. At the same time, Mike decided to hang out with the white Siberian Husky since he always liked dogs that looked like wolves, even if it was only a vague resemblance. At the same time that you were letting the runt chew on the toy bone from his sleepy position, Mike was sitting on the ground beside you as the Husky licked his face multiple times and glided through his arms as if it was playing limbo before it decided to give you a lick to the cheek to show it liked you too. After rubbing the Husky's belly once it rolled onto its back to distract you and Mike, the brunette male reached over to pet the puppies that laid in your lap, even the runt who still chewed relentlessly on the rubber toy, before he began to talk to you. Not much was said between you both since the puppies successfully distracted you and Mike from life's hardships. But when words were said, they meant a lot to you because Mike reminded you that like the dogs, everyone you knew and loved had a connection with you because you were genuine and real. What people saw from you was what they got and if they didn't like it, they didn't have to associate with you. However, Mike revealed that because of you, he learned a thing or two about loyalty to one's partner and one's friends and decided that even though he was a natural flirt who could talk to anyone, he would NEVER cheat on Emily and he would never hurt his friends.  This revelation sparked joy in you because Mike made you proud by admitting something that personal since he had never told anyone that and he felt comfortable only sharing it with you. But Mike also admitted that he knew he could have anyone he wanted but chose Emily and would never do anything to jeopardize a relationship with her through infidelity or dating abuse. The first step to fixing a problem is admitting that there is a problem to solve, and that's exactly what Mike did that day at the pet shelter. This action from Mike only inspired you to want to come forward about things that happened in private with you and (Guy's Name) because in order for you to heal, FULLY heal, you needed to put everything out there and let your friends judge accordingly. 

As your most protective best friend, Chris decided it had been a while since you two had played multiplayer on a video game. Sure, it was a past time that you hadn't done since you started dating (Guy's Name), but you and Chris were willing to bring it back because it was well overdue. Therefore, after ordering a large pizza to share and hooking up Chris's PlayStation, you and him spent hours upon countless hours trying to beat each other in a multiplayer Battle Royale where it was every man for himself. Button mashing and trying to block each other's view by holding your hands in front of each other's eyes, you and Chris had a good time laughing again before you beat your blonde friend after five straight rounds of losses. After groaning while dropping the controller since he was sure to win the sixth time in a row, Chris buried his head in his hands as you ran around him in a victory dance before you two congratulated each other by shaking hands and lightly tapping controllers like celebratory champagne glasses. After taking a small break to pause the game and munch on the pizza, you and Chris began to speak about the latest Game of Thrones episode you both watched so you could discuss possible theories for the plot and rehash the lore. You believed that characters meant to be loved by the fans were going to die in the season while Chris was hoping that maybe they would stray from the books and create their own plot. However, knowing the books and how they were written but also knowing George R. R. Martin, you and Chris knew that was unlikely to happen. Talking with Chris got your mind off of (Guy's Name) and it also felt good to not have to talk about your ex since you had pretty much exhausted all possible conversations you could even stomach about that young man. It also felt good to be back in your element and not have to hide the nerdy side of you from your lover because he didn't care for it and didn't even attempt to try to understand you. Therefore, it was no wonder that spending time with Chris before the trip to the Washington's mountain lodge was time well spent since it made you feel more like yourself again but it also brought you back to your roots, the ones you had nearly forgotten about until after you broke up with (Guy's Name). 

Finally, on the exact first day of the winter vacation at the mountain lodge, your seventh and final best friend to rally behind you was none other than the considerate and golden-hearted Josh Washington. Since he had known you the longest, Josh knew you the best. He knew you had inner demons that always tried to creep back in and break your heart after each one of your best friends starting with Sam, Beth, and Hannah had begun to repair the damage that (Guy's Name) had caused. Therefore, he wanted to try to put you back together and shield you from any more harm since he knew exactly what it was like to feel so alone in your own thoughts with your own problems that you just had to save face and act like everything was fine even if your whole world had come crashing down around you. For this particular winter get-together, he wanted everyone to see a film of his own creation that he wanted to use for a college project for his film-making class. Since you knew Josh was one to make the best home movies of you and the others for as long as he was able to hold a camera and use a computer, you figured his film would be great as you made sure to bring some food you had cooked that night up to Josh's bedroom since you knew your darker-haired friend sometimes forgot to eat when he was busy doing last minute editing to his movies on his laptop. What you didn't realize was that Josh had a surprise planned for you on this winter getaway downstairs and that he wanted to make this trip the best one yet ever since you cut off contact with (Guy's Name) and (Female Friend's Name). Typing in some last minute words in text boxes on the video that would scroll in the end credits as well as adding a title to the video itself, Josh finished labeling a plastic DVD case with the title he hand-crafted before he heard a knock at the door. Answering it to find you holding a plate of delicious food, Josh welcomed you inside his bedroom as he smiled warmly at you before he joked with both hands over his heart, "Aww, is that for me?" 

"Yeah, I knew you were probably doing some last minute editing on your home movies, so I wanted to bring you some food I cooked downstairs. Sometimes you forget to eat when you're busy." You reminded your best friend as you placed the plate down on the desk far away from the laptop before Josh hugged you and kissed your forehead sweetly,  "One of the cons of being a busy college student without their caring friend. But I appreciate it all the same. Thanks, (Nickname)." 

"Anytime, Josh." You smiled back as you pecked your friend on the cheek with your own lips before you asked him, "So, what kinda edits are you making?" 

"It's a surprise, silly. I don't wanna spoil a thing." 

"Ah!" You gasped in faked offense before you put your hand over your heart, "You mean your best friend since 2nd grade can't see a sneak peak? Not even a teaser trailer?"

"No, Ma'am. I gotta make it fair so that it's a surprise for everyone. No spoilers or teasers allowed. Sorry." Josh apologized jokingly even though he felt really bad on the inside that he couldn't even show you a little preview of the main attraction before you shook your head with a sincere grin and a wave of your hand, "Nah, it's okay. I'm just yanking your chain. Your home movies are always the best so I'm not gonna complain. I can wait to see the magic; it'll give me something to look forward to." 

"Well, I appreciate that. Thanks." Josh smiled at you before you grinned back at him, "You're welcome." After waiting a couple minutes in silence while Josh stared at you when he knew that you weren't looking at him, you finally stared back at Josh before you called out his name, causing him to turn around as he asked, "Yeah, what's up?" 

"Mmm...Never mind. It's not important." You sheepishly mumbled as you tried to even forget you wanted to bring up the subject before Josh disagreed with you civilly with his next sentence, "Nonsense. Everything you say to me is important. So what is it?"

"It's just...I want to thank you for letting me, my cousins, and my cousin's friend tag along with you guys up here at your parents' lodge. It really means a lot since you guys have done a lot for me over the years, but especially now when I needed you all the most, you guys all stepped it up and proved to me how much you care." You explained as Josh looked to you before he grinned warmly again, "Of course we care. Any man who would rather take the one who introduced you to him to the bone zone is a horny jerk in my eyes. Besides, you're the life of the party here even though you say you're not." Then, looking towards you again, Josh knew something was eating at you as he saw the way you looked like you wanted to talk but couldn't find the right words before he decided to get answers from you without pushing you too hard, "But that's not what you really wanted to say, was it?"

"You'd be correct." You nodded as a forced laugh escaped your lips and you brushed a piece of hair behind your ear before Josh interrogated you more, "So what did you really want to say?"

"Josh, could you please take this to the grave? It's just...I've never told anyone about this and I knew that if I wanted to tell anyone, I knew I could trust you." You pleaded as Josh sat down with you on his bed and nodded back, "Cross my heart and hope to die...So what's got you looking so down?" 

Just from your current posture of hugging your legs to your chest on the bed and looking at Josh with glossy eyes, your best friend could tell that you felt insecure. From what Josh learned in a psychology class in college last semester, he knew an emotional barrier was being set up between you and Josh because what you were about to tell him was painful to remember and that at least if you could comfort yourself or shy away from your best friend, you could get through the sharing of the secret. But because of Mike's confession at the pet shelter, it inspired you to confess to Josh as you sighed deeply, "It's just...I know you guys say I'm beautiful and I want to believe that because I know you guys wouldn't lie to me, but..."

"You don't feel it." Josh finished your sentence for you before you nodded back to confirm that he was correct, "Right...It's hard for others to understand that just telling someone they're beautiful only helps a little bit, but the person you say it to has to feel comfortable in their own skin before they'll accept it as reality. You know?" 

"Yeah, that's how I felt for years before I finally reached out for help. My brain would keep telling me that no one cared about me and that they were only with me out of pity even when you guys would tell me you cared about me. It was only after you realized I was misdiagnosed for severe depression rather than schizophrenia did I start to feel better and quiet the insults in my head." Josh recounted his story as green irises filled with unshed tears before you gasped, "Josh..."

"It's okay now. I've learned to accept myself and my mental illness because I refuse to let it define me. Sure, it's a part of me that I can't get rid of and can only control with medication, but I realized that I can make a name for myself and maybe use my skills as a future Hollywood director to bring more awareness to mental illness so others like me can get the help they deserve. We all go through life and some can handle more than others, others can handle less. But those who are mentally ill and need help deserve to be treated like a human being with basic rights, not pushed under a rug and forced to bottle themselves up until they snap and burn out." Josh replied as he finished telling his story and ranting before you revealed a new development that could take place at your school, "That's actually why I developed a plan to bring more mental health professionals into school for students who suffered like you. You didn't get proper help back then, so I wanted to help those who needed help now, to make it easier for them so they wouldn't have to suffer." 

"And I thank you for that. But anyways, you were saying?" Josh asked before you mumbled, "You're gonna think I'm stupid and weak for saying this..."

"No I won't. Please just tell me, (Nickname). I wanna help if I can." 

"One time, you asked me if my ex tried to take me to the bone zone when we were dating...I didn't answer your question before because I felt embarrassed and I hated myself. But now, I felt as though I needed to tell you the truth because I couldn't keep it in any longer." 

"(Name), what did he do to you?" Josh questioned in concern, frightened inside to even think of (Guy's Name) hurting you but also angered at even a hint of a possible scenario his mind cooked up that involved your ex maybe forcing you to be intimate with him against your will, before you finally ceased the suspense with your story about that night, "I don't know...We wanted to see what it would be like for us to be together in that way, so I undressed in front of him and...He...One look at me and it said everything. I had never been that embarrassed on my life and I felt so insecure that I covered back up and sat down on the bed beside him. After scooting away from me like I had the Black Plague, he told me I was disgusting and needed to have a doctor check me out because I wasn't quote-on-quote 'normal.' What made it worse was when he told me that he never wanted to see me like 'that' again and that we should never speak of that night again." 

There were no words that could describe how angry Josh was right now when he heard that story or what kind of torturous actions he imagined doing to (Guy's Name) in his head even though he tried to keep it together to avoid scaring you. However, his face was contorted in rage because of the thought that you were made to hate your body out of embarrassment when you did try to put forth an effort to be with your boyfriend in body and soul. Now it all made sense as to why "disgusting" and "you never put out" hurt you so much when it was said during the argument you, (Guy's Name), and (Female Friend's Name) has before you cut them both out of your life when you broke a friendship and a dating relationship off with them. Remembering Sam's text and the dialogue shown in the text, it shattered Josh's heart into a million pieces. It killed him inside to know that you had been holding that secret in for so long because you were too scared to admit that even a dating partner found you to be hideous to look at, clothed or not. Josh had a party animal attitude and seemed like the type to have attractive people on every arm every day of the week, but you and him both knew that he hadn't ever given himself to a girl because he didn't trust anyone that closely yet. That was Josh's secret that he only ever revealed to YOU because he was too embarrassed to tell anyone else. For the life of him, Josh couldn't even begin to fathom what it would be like for a girl to give a guy everything, even something as precious as that, out of trust only to be rejected and told to hide that secret from everyone. To be forced to change for a man in order to keep that man, it confused Josh because his parents had a great relationship that lasted for over 20 years and his parents had never once cheated on each other. More importantly, they accepted each other's strengths, weaknesses, and quirks and had no strings attached for any action they did for each other. But with you and (Guy's Name), the exact opposite occurred in your relationship. In his mind, if you and Josh were ever together, he would NEVER force you to change your very essence in order to be with him; Josh loved your nerdiness and your body because you were voluptuous and taller than many of the girls in your shared social circle. Josh loved your care for animals and people but he also loved your ability to recognize a song just by hearing the first note, even if it was classical music or if a song had a similar intro that matched another song. He loved your boisterous cackle whenever you heard something funny and he loved the way you could gyrate on a dance floor as if you had not a care in the world. He even loved the weird food combinations you had, the competitive streak you had at MC's Trivia Night or in pillow fights, or the way your eyes sparkled whenever you saw your favorite fandoms or even classic movies flash on TV. Josh loved everything about you because it's what made him want to befriend you in the first place when you both were in 2nd grade, all because of Josh's Spiderman lunchbox and your Lord of the Rings book in the cafeteria one fateful day. 

Therefore, Josh did nothing but hug you to his chest as he could sense you were close to crying from being embarrassed over having to relive that night again before he held your head in his dominant, gargantuan hand. Clutching onto Josh's flannel tightly as you buried your head in his neck, you let a few tears fall as you remembered that night as if it was happening all over again, how you could barely speak to your ex because of the bitter taste in your throat or how insignificant and small you felt because he body-shamed and guilted you into correlating physical ugliness with the right to bully someone until they were an empty shell as a way to "give them something to work up to." What you didn't count on was for Josh to kiss your forehead or start crying too as you could feel his shoulders tremble with each stroke he made through your hair and across your back as a means of comforting you. This only made you feel more guilty for making Josh cry when actually, it was quite the opposite. Josh was crying out of frustration for the world's injustices because good people like you were constantly screwed over with no remorse while people like (Guy's Name) and (Female Friend's Name) bullied people and thrived. But he also felt terrible for you because he saw nothing but beauty in you, even when you didn't see it in yourself. 

Determined to make you see what he saw, Josh sniffled and wiped his face of his tears as he coughed to get ahold of himself again before you two broke apart from the hug as you stared at each other. Wiping your tears from your eyes with his thumbs, you gripped Josh's hands in yours and held them close to your shoulders as you nodded solemnly with a teary smile before you whispered, "Thanks, Hollywood. You always know what to do and say to make me feel better." 

"Anytime, my muse." Josh whispered back as he squeezed your hands back while you still held them in your grip before you decided to leave the room and head downstairs to be with the rest of your best friends, "I should probably head back with the others."

"Yeah, I gotta make last minute edits for the home movie. I'll meet you downstairs." Josh stumbled over his words as he spoke very fast, like he was hiding and trying to keep a surprise a secret from you, before you giggled at his antics and made the long descent down the several flights of stairs. After watching you exit from the doorway, Josh locked himself back inside his room as he made sure to finish the home movie in its entirety before playing it back on his laptop, checking off all possible things he wanted to include in the video as well as its comparability with the TV downstairs. Once he was finished, Josh rejoined everyone downstairs in the living room as they welcomed him back before he popped in the disk and stood up in front of the crowd that was taking their places on the various couches, "Hello, everyone. I wanna thank you guys for coming to my parents' cabin for your winter breaks. It means a lot to have you all here." 

"You throw the best parties and we have the best times here at the lodge. It's a pleasure and an honor coming here." Chris piped up from his seat beside Ashley, who was cuddled beside him for warmth since he was hogging the blanket, before he sat back down as Josh pointed to his blonde best friend and grinned, "Thanks, Cochise. You're the man." After everyone laughed at the interaction between Chris and Josh, the darker-haired man stared at you lovingly as he darted his eyes around every once in a while towards everyone else before snapping those mint green orbs back to you as he announced, "Now, the footage for this video came from everyone in attendance and I compiled it together into one compilation to celebrate love...Love we have for a special person who is among us...Miss (Name) (Surname). You're the life of this group and the light that heals us whenever we're trapped in darkness, be it from school or toxic relationships or even...mental illness and insecurities...When we needed you most, you were always there for us, so when you reached out to us through Sam, we came from all four corners of the Earth to be there for you because we care about you so frigging much, (Nickname). (Name), you've always been my muse and you will always be, even when you're a famous triple threat on the Silver Screen and I'm a famous Hollywood director making horror flicks or films meant to inspire and heal viewers. That's why this home movie is for you. I hope everyone likes it, but especially you, (Name)." 

With that, Josh had a seat beside you as you scooted over and pat the empty space on the couch, causing the darker-haired man to rest his head in your warm lap as you stroked through his curls lazily while he curled into you similar to how a fluffy kitten would to a blanket just out of the dryer, before Chris clicked the play button on the remote that Josh handed him. With Ashley curling closer into Chris as he wrapped the blanket around them both, the blonde male placed the TV remote back on the coffee table before the video started to roll. And that's when the floodgates started to flow with everyone and resonate well with a good message as you realized that everyone knew a secret you didn't. 

The video was about you, but the footage used for the home movie compilation came from home movies your cousins taped when you were a kid playing with them in the backyard during the holidays. But other footage you recognized was recent events that happened both before and after your nasty breakup with (Guy's Name) which included but weren't limited to the song Ashley wrote for you and sang with you as a duet (taped by Ashley) or the dancing you did with Josh and Matt at the school's winter formal (taped by Chris). There were also videos of you modeling bra and panty sets as well as lingerie with Jessica at the mall that you two just did for fun and even a video Mike took of you giving your proposal speech for admitting more mental health professionals into the school to help students like Josh. Accompanying each video were black screens with white words that flashed on screen, expressing what your cousins, your cousin's best friend, and all your other best friends loved about you. What surprised you more were the documentary-like interviews that your friends were in as they remarked on camera how special and wonderful you were to them and how you didn't need a toxic boyfriend who bullied and pushed you to change yourself in order to stay with him. The tearjerker and best interview was with Josh as he said on camera, "What do I think about (Name) and (Guy's Name)?...Oh, gosh, I shouldn't be saying this because they're still in a relationship, but I can't watch her be mistreated anymore...Okay, to heck with it, I'm gonna say it. If it's anything I've learned about friendship, I only have one thing to say...If you have to beg and plead someone to stay in a friendship or dating relationship with you, then they're not worth it. They don't care about you and you should just drop them like a bad habit because they're gonna drop you when you're no longer "interesting" enough for THEM..." After doing air quotes with his fingers for the word 'interesting' in the video, you watched intently as Josh looked to the camera lens before he expressed what he really felt in regards to you, his long-time female best friend, "(Name), if you ever see this video, just know that you never have to change for us and you'll never have to beg us to stay. You are among some of the loyalest friends I've ever had, and I would know because you guys helped me when I reached out after suffering through mental illness alone...So (Name), just know we're here for you too. Sure, you're gonna struggle with yourself in a relationship and true love may not be easy. But if it was so easy, then everyone would find any run-of-the-mill person to be their partner and it would mean nothing. But because you have to fight for it, love means something and when it's time, you'll know when you find the right guy. I have faith in you, my muse...You are so intelligent and beautiful, even if you think less of yourself because of what (Guy's Name) says. You may not think you're sexy enough to attract a guy, but to me, you're gorgeous. Never forget that for as long as you live." 

Once the video's credits rolled, you felt tears prick your eyes as you wiped them away with the sleeves of your shirt before several pairs of arms wrapped around you in a group hug. With all that warmth and all that love, it made you feel better about yourself as you returned the group hug before a revelation came to mind. There was no pity that urged your friends to stay with you. There was no universal force that compelled them to be your friends. They stayed because they liked YOU, the real you, and wanted to be your friends for life. So, finally accepting yourself for who you were and believing with all your heart and soul that your friends accepted you for you too, your heart finally healed that night. If hatred and lust could break a heart, then love and acceptance could heal it. If only people could see your heart now on an X-ray machine, it would look like the Wolverine's skin closing an open wound. And with that, tears of joy, not sadness, flowed from your eyes as you hugged your friends because THEY were the real heroes in this situation. They saved you from your inner insults and they had saved you from the nightmare that was a relationship with (Guy's Name). By opening your eyes to the emotional and mental abuse, they made you take back your rights to be treated with respect and unconditional love to empower you and give you a better body image and a stronger, wiser attitude when it came to romance. Thanking them properly for all they had done and for the video, you decided to have some fun with your friends as you danced the first night of vacation away. And with cameras on and music blaring from Jessica's phone, your best friends joined you in the living room on your makeshift dance floor as they tried to keep up with you.


	2. Lara Croft X BFF! Fem! Reader Headcanons (Survivor Reboot Timeline)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Hello, ladies and gentleman. I'm so happy to present this headcanons series to you because I like Tomb Raider and this is my first time writing for it. Therefore, I'd like to present some headcanons where Lara Croft is best friends with the reader. Please enjoy and as always, comments and requests are welcome.

*When you first met Lara Croft, it was through hanging out with your friend Samantha on the weekends in freshman year of college. Samantha thought you two might get along since she was already friends with both of you after getting to know you separately. It was honestly the best decision Samantha ever made when she got you two to hang out together. 

*You and Lara immediately clicked upon seeing each other all the time in the library, where you bonded over different literature from the most simple and short to the longest and complicated classic novels ever created. Lara was also impressed that you knew Spanish, English, Braille, sign language, and Armenian but also due to the fact that you were an art history major alongside your minor of anthropology. But what made Lara grow closer to you as a best friend was when she saw that you could recognize different art pieces, cultural garb, and specific type of culture by the type of art style used in the paintings, mosaics, building architecture, carvings, or sculptures. 

*She also thought you were unique as a person because she had never met someone who was Armenian even though she knew about the culture through history books. You being nice to her and being interested in her tomboyish hobbies such as archaeology and working out by doing kick-boxing was also a good sign that she could trust you as a friend. 

*This was why when she heard about an excursion to Yamatai in Japan, she asked you to accompany her and Sam as well as the crew of the Endurance. 

*Jonah and Alex took a liking to you right away because you knew your art but you were also kind and loved to laugh. Jonah also liked the fact that you were pretty and were always curious to know about his occupation as a superstitious fisherman. You also acted as wingman to Alex since you knew he liked Lara. 

*The journey on Yamatai was hard on everyone involved, even you. Alex was lost while trying to save Lara (his crush since the start of the excursion), Sam was possessed by the spirit of Himiko, Grim sacrificed himself to give Lara a chance to escape, Roth took a axe to the back to save Lara, and Lara was permanently injured in her abdomen. You also had a permanent disfigurement across your back from an enemy slashing you with a samurai sword. However, you, Reyes, Sam, Jonah, and Lara made it out of Yamatai safely despite all the difficulties and hardships.

*Even after Yamatai, Lara tried to get her father's good name back on the map and prove that the Croft family legacy was something that needed to be treasured. You completely understood Lara's pure intentions since your backstory wasn't all perfect. As an infant, you were adopted by a lovely couple originally hailing from India who couldn't have children naturally, Mr. (Father's Name) and Mrs. (Mother's Name) (Surname). When you found out you were adopted, you wished to find your birth parents but had an unsuccessful journey in doing so before college since they both passed away at the scene of a car crash. And even with you being Armenian, your adoptive parents loved you and treated you as if you had always been theirs. Therefore, you actively helped Lara in her quest to jump-start her father's research findings on Kitezh and lived in her mansion to do so. 

*But you were also famous for helping Lara get through nightmares with your singing whenever the PTSD of killing men to survive as well as losing the rescue pilots, Grim, Roth, and Alex became too much for her racing mind. It was one of the best qualities that she liked about you as her friend since your voice could soothe many a troubled soul even if you thought sometimes that you sounded like a wailing animal. You also cooked and cleaned Lara's home whenever she couldn't get around to it and you even helped her get out of the house to get her mind off of the horrific past of the Yamatai excursion. 

*With your expert knowledge of culture through the history of art, you helped Lara uncover key evidence that would support her claims of Kitezh being an existing place. However, in order to keep you safe since you barely made it out alive in Yamatai, Lara went to Syria alone but kept in close contact with you to make sure that you knew that she was okay. 

*After Lara encountered Trinity in Syria and barely made it out with her life, you and her found the answer to Kitezh was in Siberia but were yelled at by Jonah since he lost his good friend Alex and nearly lost Sam to the spirit of Himiko. He was especially worried about you and Lara because he had the closest relationships with the two of you. But after a break-in from a Trinity spy who stole Lara's research, the three of you traveled to Siberia with another crew to find Kitezh before Trinity did. However, the three of you became separated on the snowy mountain during an avalanche and were spread out across Siberia. 

*Fortunately for you, you never encountered Trinity. Unfortunately, you were passed out and nearly dying of starvation, thirst, and hypothermia after hitting your head on the ice. You blacked out for countless hours without any movement from your physique and could've been eaten by a wild animal until you were later found by a member of the Remnants, Sofia. Sofia thought you would later be a threat if she allowed you to live, however, in your current condition, you depended upon another for food, shelter, and protection until you could regain consciousness. Therefore, Sofia took care of you after barely escaping members of Trinity with her life at the cost of losing her male field partner. After all, while Sofia was a strict tactician in battle, she still had a kind heart like her father Jacob. 

*After hours of being knocked unconscious, you were awakened by something cool and damp wiping your forehead back and forth as you noticed dried blood collecting on the white cloth. Then, a roll of bandage was wrapped around your head as you caught sight of a woman wearing animal skins and carrying a bow and arrow on her back. That's when you gasped out "Lara" from your lips before the woman started cursing in what sounded like ancient Greek (if listening to Lara's translations of ancient writing systems was any indication of your ability to somewhat decipher languages to a minimum degree) because you were awake and trying to get up before she used fluent English. Then, Sofia came closer to you and told you that her name was not Lara but was instead Sofia. Once you were fully awake, you tried to pull yourself to a sitting position only to wince in order to prevent a deafening scream of pain, only for Sofia to lay you back down so she could make you drink an herbal tea since she didn't think that you were ready to eat solid foods yet after being injured and cold for hours. She also rekindled the fire as she sat beside you before she asked for your name and your intention for being out there. 

*You explained that you were in Siberia because you and your friends Lara and Jonah were trying to find the Divine Source before Trinity did but you got separated in an avalanche on the mountain. That's when Sofia drew her bow and pointed the arrowhead at your neck as she angrily questioned why you wanted the Source before you told her that you and your friends weren't going to use it since you all just wanted to stop Trinity from getting it first. Seeing as you didn't even have the strength to sit up or fight back without wincing and hearing sincerity in your voice, Sofia dropped the bow before she told you to get rest since you two had to move back to the Remnant village on foot to avoid Trinity's soldiers in the woods. Taking her advice since you knew you were safer here than out there, you went back to sleep as the medicine from the tea worked its magic and the fire warmed you up. 

*Once you made it to the village, Sofia left you in the care of her people and told them that even if you were an outsider, no harm was to befall you due to your injuries. It wasn't until a couple days later that you met Sofia's father Jacob and managed to reunite yourself with Lara, who had been rescued by Jacob. However, Trinity struck once again as they attacked Jacob and his people, which to an extent meant that you and Lara had to join the fight. 

*Because of your injuries, you were asked by Jacob to hide with the elderly and children who couldn't fight but you mustered up enough strength to fight alongside him, Lara, Sofia, and the Remnants. However, Jacob protected you the entire time you were out there and even took a few hits for you when an enemy appeared in your blind spot. You also returned the favor by sniping enemies that tried to sneak up from behind Jacob to avoid the leader of the Remnants getting hurt. 

*After saving the Remnant village from danger at the hands of Trinity, Jacob personally administered first aid to his wounded soldiers and even prayed to God for those who passed. He saved you for last because your first aid was not mandatory for your survival, however, he wished to make sure you were okay since you did go into battle with a gun after suffering a head injury. But as he watched you soothe the surviving Remnant soldiers who needed amputation or needle and thread bodily stitches in order to survive with your songs from 'another land of another time,' Jacob smiled from afar as he saw nothing but kindness in you. 

*What made you trust Jacob and grow to like his company was the fact he was a good man who was both strong and benevolent as a leader of his people; it also helped that Jacob's voice was soothing and he was physically attractive. After a few minutes of speaking with you as he re-bandaged your head again, he noticed a necklace of yours and remarked that it was Armenian, to which you told him about your true heritage and the fact that you were adopted by a couple in London who originated from India. This only made Jacob smile as he explained that you were indeed beautiful and that you reminded him of what his first wife Sofia (of which his red-haired daughter was named after) looked like before she passed away years ago. He remarked that you were almost a mirror image of her from the back because of your thick, dark hair and your olive skin. 

*Because Jacob trusted you due to your similarities in appearance to his first wife, he didn't know what came over him as he told you about his encounter with the Divine Source and how it made him immortal back in ancient times. However, he asked you not to tell Lara even though he knew she would eventually figure it out because he didn't want the Divine Source to fall into the wrong hands; you promised not to and kept your word since Lara was definitely smart enough to notice. 

*After reuniting with Jonah again only to have him captured by Trinity and nearly killed by a stab wound inflicted by Konstantin, you and Lara worked together to uncover the ancient tombs of Siberia and stop Trinity from getting the Divine Source. You even assisted Lara and the Remnants in the final battle against Trinity, finally destroying the Divine Source while losing Jacob in the process. 

*However, just as Ana prepared to tell her stepdaughter more about Trinity, she was taken out by an enemy sniper while Lara watched. Therefore, Lara decided to ask you to come with her to Latin America to take down Trinity once and for all.


	3. Teen! Sam Drake X Fem! Reader - Walk in the Park

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> Since I now know the joys of what it's like to play Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and beat the game, I decided to write a oneshot for one of my favorite characters, Samuel "Sam" Morgan/Drake. I hope everyone likes it since this is my first Uncharted oneshot and my first time writing about Teen! Sam Drake, so I hope I write his character well in this fanfiction. I've been consulting lots of sources to look at Sam's character as a teenager, so I hope everyone enjoys.
> 
> I will also write more Sam Drake oneshots tying together into this current one, both when Sam and the female reader are teenagers and when they're both adults during the events of Uncharted 4 and the Lost Legacy. Once again, I thank all my fans for being here for my stories and I hope everyone enjoys the oneshot. :)
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> The following links are for the reader's physical appearance and sense of style from the Teen! Sam Drake adventures to the events of Uncharted 4. This original female character will be seen in ALL Sam Drake oneshots, both Teen! Sam and Adult! Sam. 
> 
> Clothing Styles & Freckles (Princess Ariel, Princess Rapunzel, & Princess Belle): https://sakuraaeris1497.tumblr.com/tagged/modern-disney-princess
> 
> Hair (Sansa Stark's Hair Color): https://theoutsiderarg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/sansa-stark-margaery-tyrell-sansa-stark-34448809-1024-576.jpg
> 
> Reader's Equestrian Sport Horse, Queen Anne:   
> https://straightfromthehorsesmouth2you.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/bay-horse-2.jpg

It must've been fate that brought you and Sam Drake together. It must've been. If not fate, then it must've been the Good Lord in Heaven above. Watching a 28-year-old Sam play pirates with your daughter, Morgan Anne Drake, with a black eyepatch over one hazel iris and a plastic sword in his hand, made you smile as your daughter wrapped a red scarf around her head to resemble a bandana. Then, as she ran across the grass while she shouted "Arrg," she began to laugh innocently as Sam chuckled and ran away from his little girl. With her hazel eyes sparkling and her brown tresses whipping around as if she were on a real pirate ship in the salty wind, auburn shades shining in the sunlight, she started to laugh as she commanded Nathan, her red bandana-wearing quartermaster, to help her take down the bad pirates, which just happened to be you and Sam. After a dramatic sword fight, a 23-year-old Nathan and four-year-old Morgan managed to "stab" Sam as the older male acted out a dramatic death scene while he clawed the grass on his hands and knees before the toddler and the teenager tackled the eldest pirate captain to the ground. Grabbing Sam's plastic sword as he was pinned down by Morgan and Nathan on the local park's grass, you engaged your brother-in-law into a duel as you clashed plastic with plastic before Morgan placed Sam's pirate captain hat on top of her red bandana, watching you dominate her uncle alongside her father. With each swipe of your play sword towards Nathan as he ducked and jumped out of the way, your husband of four years prompted himself to clap as he referred to you as his pirate queen and told you to kick his brother's ass, leading to you narrowing your eyebrows at your husband as you shouted back with a scolding tone, "Language." It seemed as though you still had your skills from competitive fencing in your childhood as your footwork and poise never wavered whenever Nathan made a leaping lunge at you with his plastic weapon. Swiping and slicing the air towards Nathan as you spun around in circles to avoid his own sword swipes, the brunette male started to shout out his signature catchphrase of "Oh crap" before he stuttered, "Now this ain't even right. Why did I ever decide it was a good idea to go after the one person who could sword fight the best?"

"Tough luck, punk." Sam shouted from the distance as Morgan started to laugh while Nathan shouted back with a playful statement that had some shade and bite to it, "You two are no help, whatsoever. Like, none at all." 

"You're an adult; you make the choices and suffer the consequences." You remarked as you had managed to knock Nathan off his feet and get him on his back by swiping your toy blade under his legs before standing over him, your plastic sword against his neck. After a dramatic speech about how you were the greatest pirate ever while Nathan put his hands up in surrender, you asked your brother-in-law if he wanted to yield before the younger man nodded and accepted your hand so he could get out of the grass. With a firm handshake and reaffirming that he was a decent opponent, you smiled at the brother-in-law who was three years younger than you and who you personally raised as a son alongside Sam when you were all teenagers before you all sat down for a picnic in the tranquility of the park on a lovely spring day, especially since you, Sully, Nathan, and Sam had just come back from treasure hunting and your daughter wanted to hear about ALL the details. Sitting there as you munched on your sandwich, you couldn't help but flashback to how you got to this point in your life as you were pulled into Sam's arms for a kiss while your daughter remarked that it was gross that Mommy and Daddy were kissing during a meal before Nathan joked for you two to get a room before he threw up his delicious sandwich. This only caused you and Sam to giggle as you both shoved Nathan down while he shouted "Hey" and braced himself on one muscular bicep in an attempt to save his sandwich from hitting the grass, prompting Morgan to laugh too as Nathan took a bite of his sandwich and smirked in triumph with a closed mouth. 

To put it simply, you were (Name) (Last Name), born on (Birthday) of 1972 in Boston, Massachusetts to a pair of lovely parents, Mr. and Mrs. (Last Name). You were the middle child between two brothers, one older by five years and one younger by three years, and while they playfully teased you as all brothers would, they were your best allies when it came to fun or your best bodyguards when it came to new boys coming into your life. What you did know about your family history was that your father was a French Canadian-American circus performer who worked for Cirque de Soleil in the 80's and some other circuses before he nearly died in an acrobatic stunt when you were three years old but escaped with nearly-fatal wounds that put him out of work for months after falling from 25 feet in the air and crashing through the glass roof of a building that was near his performance. This led your father to retire from the circus due to the danger the job required and instead choose to continue being an entertainer without all the danger. You also knew that your mother was a Scottish-American historian who worked alongside a woman named Evelyn, giving her a new coworker in Cassandra Morgan. What you didn't know was that your mother was also a famous treasure hunter at one point in your life and her most-trusted business partner was none other than one Victor "Sully" Sullivan. Sure, you found out when you were old enough to understand what a treasure hunter was, but it was still neat to find out that your mom and your godfather Sully were like Indiana Jones, but if the famous character was a duo of both sexes. So when you would wake up on Christmas morning with some rare artifact from temples in some faraway lands with weird names to pronounce in coherent English or got that puppy you always wanted for your birthday from Sully's hard-earned cash, you figured that your godfather was either a collector of historical artifacts who had a good taste or that he ran some illegitimate business and didn't elect to tell you exactly what it was. Regardless, you still loved the former military man because he was the cool uncle since you didn't have any other relatives through biological blood ties aside from both paternal and maternal grandparents, your parents, and two brothers. Whenever Sully did come for visits to Boston to see you and your family, despite not being one who wanted kids of his own or a simpler life, he always gave you and your brothers sweets before supper without your parents' knowledge and even took you three on some of his treasure excursions in the summer when you were all old enough. He even taught you how to shoot a gun and also let you drive a rental boat in Brazil while you and your parents went on vacation with him. One time, Sully even let you pilot his plane, his literal baby, after he was sure you knew the controls. 

Meeting Sam didn't come along until he was five years old and you were three, all set up by his mom and yours in the form of a play date while they discussed history business with their boss, Evelyn. At the time, you and Sam were in that state of childhood where you believed in cooties and didn't even want to shake hands with each other to be polite. But once you both got to know each other better through pretend play and a shared love of books, you both pushed that thought out of your heads and became the best of friends. Sam was the spark to start your flame, the perfect punchline to kickstart your laughter, the adventurous risk-taker and you were his ride-or-die, and you two wouldn't have asked for it any other way. Sam was always coming up with new adventures to enact in the backyard in the form of semi-dangerous stunts and you were always tagging along because Sam was an idiot and needed you to cover him, but he was your idiot and you enjoyed the mischievous behavior. It added some spice to life whenever he did something only a trickster would do such as sitting in a laundry basket and sliding down a staircase or grabbing some twigs and pretending you two were pirates in a sword duel. Heck, your families even vacationed together and you both even saw Windsor Castle in England together, even if you two didn't remember the trip aside from what photographs and family anecdotal evidence reminded you both of. And when Nathan came along in 1975, the Morgan brothers added more fun adventures to your childhood. What made it even more memorable for you was that you were given your first nickname by the youngest brother, which was reference to a an innate feature of your physical appearance that he had seen since he was a one-year-old toddler speaking in one-word holophrastic sentences. When you first heard Nathan call you "Dots," you and Cassandra thought he was mistaking your name for one such as Dottie, which made both of you unable to do anything but smile as you tried to correct him with your real name of (Name). But when Nathan started to point at your face and repeat the word "Dots," Sam caught on as he noticed where his baby brother's chubby digit was aimed at before he managed to explain the best a six-year-old could that his brother was pointing and smiling at your freckles, which littered every inch of your body but was centered mainly on your button nose and plump cheeks. Since then, "Dots" became a common pet name that the Morgan brothers used ONLY for YOU throughout your entire life and eventually, it became a codename for you in the field once you became a treasure hunter alongside Sam and Nathan in adulthood, a way to let them know that it was really you and not an enemy in case you got separated and had nothing but walkie-talkies to communicate with. From about age three to age ten, you and the Morgan brothers grew quite close and even included your brothers into the fun adventures until tragedy struck the Morgan home. 

Like a thunderclap during a bad storm, Cassandra's life ended too soon. Through illness of mind or body, no one knew. But what was certain was that a ten-year-old Sam and five-year-old Nathan had no loving mother anymore, and while their father took them back into his care, fatherhood didn't last long. The boys were soon shipped off to Saint Francis Boys' Home like trash to a dump and the father high-tailed it out of Boston, leaving no trace of his wife or his sons behind for you and your family to travel back to so you could see your childhood friends. You didn't even know that Sam and Nathan's father dumped them at that orphanage or that he had sold Cassandra's things to Evelyn after abandoning them.

After not seeing your childhood friends since you were ten, you decided to focus on school and family as one of your brothers was accepted into college all the way in London later in your childhood so he could study biology while your younger brother was aspiring to be a director and producer for film and television. Meanwhile, you were following down your mother's path of history as a new field known better as genealogy arose with the rise of stationary computers in the 1970's and the invention of DNA testing in 1984. You originally just wanted to be a treasure hunter or historian, but when you accepted an ad in the newspaper to clean an old lady's house in Boston year-round for cash, she noticed your favoritism towards the historical artifacts and books in her mansion and saw a spark in you that she hadn't seen since she was a young historian herself. The elderly lady even offered to get you in contact with other historians she knew from the field so you could be both part-time housekeeper and part-time genealogist, but she also allowed you to read the books in her library if you ever needed to use them for school, since she was aware that you were a student in school and the daughter of her former employee, Mrs. (Last Name). What you didn't expect was for fate or God to bring you back together with the Morgan brothers after so many years of separation, starting with your choice to take that job with Evelyn and the other choices you made leading up to that fateful day. 

It was June of 1988 and you were just reading Sam Morgan's favorite book in the park to remember your old friend by (especially since he gave you the book a year before his mom passed away) after walking your (Favorite Dog Breed), (Dog's Name) for a few minutes in the Boston summer heat. Once you got to your favorite part of the history-oriented tale, you tried to keep yourself from crying nostalgic tears as you remembered Sam reading this part to you in a funny voice to make you laugh. Gosh, you hasn't seen him since you were ten but the memory was as if he never went away! The last time Sam read this book, you were over at their house for dinner, hearing the Morgan family speak of Sir Francis Drake and the theory of his surviving heirs or about other historical figures as part of their normal conversation. Just reading these few paragraphs now reminded you of the Morgan brothers and Mrs. Cassandra, all of whom you missed with all your heart and wished would come back into your life. 

Upon seeing its master upset, your dog started to whine and lay its head on your knee as you scratched behind (his/her) silky ears, thanking your dog for the comfort by kissing its wet nose. After a few moments of comforting you, your dog's head snapped up with one ear raised as if to search for a signal from incoming stimuli while you were startled by your pet's sudden movements. As the dog sat up on all fours, its black nose wiggled left and right as a familiar aroma filled (his/her) nostrils before (he/she) started barking at the top of its lungs as (he/she) jumped around in circles, panting and wagging its tails. At once, you knelt down on the grass to get closer to (Dog's Name) as you asked, "What is it, (boy/girl)?" 

After a few more rounds of barking, running in circles, and panting while wagging (his/her) tail, (Dog's Name) took off running down the grass towards a teenage boy in a jean jacket, who was unaware that a large animal was about to collide with him in two seconds. With reflexes lacking speed to grab (his/her) leash, you chased after the canine companion in vain with your book in one hand before you heard the teenage boy giving a loud "oof" as the dog jumped onto him, front paws on his shoulder while balanced on (his/her) back paws. Grabbing the dog's paws as the animal tried to lick his face, the teenage boy smiled and massaged the dog's fluffy ears as he cooed in baby talk, "Aww, you're a cute thing, aren't you? Who's a good dog? Yes, you're a good dog!" Several times the dog ran around his feet, panting and wagging (his/her) tail, before jumping up again with (his/her) paws on the boy's shoulders, nearly knocking the teenager over twice with the sheer collision of body weight coming at such a swift speed. Once you managed to catch up to (Dog's Name) and catch your breath, you grabbed on the leash to get the dog off the teenager in the jean jacket as you commanded, "(Dog's Name), sit! No, no, (boy/girl)...Get off the boy. It's rude to jump on someone you just met." 

"Oh, (he/she)'s fine. I actually could use the company." The teenage boy replied as he continued to pet your dog before the (Favorite Dog Breed) ran around both of you in circles while (he/she) whined and barked at the top of (his/her) lungs. What really caught you both off-guard was when (Dog's Name) nudged your legs and the boy's, causing you both to collide chest to chest with soft gasps emitted from both of your lips before you apologized profusely, "I'm so sorry about this. (He/She) doesn't normally act so crazy unless (he/she) sees someone (he/she) recognizes. (He/She) probably just mistook you for one of my brothers or something."

"It's really no problem. I love dogs and besides, (he/she)'s a sweetheart, just like its owner." The boy remarked with a Boston accent and a killer smile on a baby face before you blushed beet red as you remarked back, "Is this how you always flirt with women?" 

"I don't know, is it working?" The boy remarked once more as your face started to heat up with the warmth of a thousand suns, not just from the summer heat in Boston, before you introduced yourself with a hand ready to shake his, "By the way, my name is (Name) (Last Name), but my family just calls me (Nickname)." 

"Samuel Morgan, but everyone calls me Sam." The boy grinned with wide dimples as he returned your handshake with a firm grip before the dog whined again, almost as if (he/she) was trying to inform you of something due to her knowing more than you and Sam but being frustrated because you both were being oblivious. As you shook hands, something seemed familiar about those shiny hazel eyes and that dimpled grin that this teenage boy showed off. At the same time, the name "Sam Morgan" sounded so familiar...But you only knew one Sam Morgan and that boy was not only your childhood friend but one of the late Cassandra Morgan's two sons. But this couldn't be pure coincidence and it couldn't possibly be the same boy you knew since you were three years old. However, if it was, you had to make sure. What you didn't realize was that Sam had the same thoughts about you and the name you gave him, especially after he noticed the (favorite color) leash and matching collar that the dog had around (his/her) neck, which matched his memories of the leash-collar combo and dog breed that his female childhood friend possessed since she was at least nine. That's why both of you had it in your minds to ask each other about your identities to make sure it wasn't just coincidence that his and your names and memories matched before you both responded in unison, "You remind me of someone. I think you're a childhood friend of mine. Wait! You think so too?" Giving each other a nod of understanding, you both asked, "Who are your parents?" 

"(Father's Name) and (Mother's Name) (Last Name)...I'm the middle child with an older brother and younger brother, (Older Brother's Name) and (Younger Brother's Name). My father is still an entertainer and my mother is still a historian in Boston. Actually, come to think of it, my mom used to work for a lady named Evelyn alongside Cassandra Morgan, a fellow historian in Boston." 

"That's funny, because Cassandra Morgan was my mom." Sam remarked as the pang of grief still hit him since it was his mother that he lost at ten years old, which you noticed in his bodily gestures, facial expressions, and tone of voice before your dog continued to whine and lean her snout towards Sam. At once, your eyes widened in shock since you knew this was Sam before he asked, "Dots?"

"Sam?" You questioned back as both of you nodded with glossy eyes before you ran to each other with a full embrace. Wrapping a dual set of arms around each other tightly, you two never wanted to let go as you nearly dropped the book you brought to the park while Sam's dominant hand tangled itself in your hair, making your messy ponytail even more messier. Your face buried in his jean jacket and his chin cradled into your shoulder, your arms encircled his waist more tightly while his shielded you from the world the more they encompassed you until you couldn't differentiate his body from yours. After a loving embrace filled with nostalgia, you and Sam decided to sit and play a game of catch-up after going to the local food stand to grab a portable bite to eat, which Sam paid for in full like a true gentleman. 

Taking a few minutes to find a park bench to sit on so you could eat and converse together, you and Sam managed to find one that was vacant as (Dog's Name) sat obediently at your feet before you two got to talking. Recounting his life history in Boston from ten years old to current times, Sam told you all about the Catholic orphanage he and Nathan were dumped at after his father sold all of their mother's belongings and how he was kicked out for deviance, leaving Nathan alone there. Sam also told you about how he found a steady job to support Nathan financially until he could one day get him out of there. When it was your turn to speak, Sam listened just as intently as you had done for him. You told him that now, you were a 16-year-old sophomore in high school who was making good grades but still had time for extra-curricular clubs such as equestrian sports (specifically show jumping and vaulting) as well as competitive fencing. You also mentioned that you had a part-time job working as both genealogist and housekeeper for an elderly lady who used to be a historian decades before you and Sam were even born. Bringing your brothers into the conversation, you informed Sam that your little brother wanted to be a film and television producer and director one day and that your older brother was going to college to learn biology in London. This prompted you and Sam to talk about your childhood vacation to Windsor Castle when you both were little as you both laughed like you had never laughed before. After a few moments of talking and laughing, Sam remarked that he saw his favorite book in your possession, which made you nod with a smile as you claimed that you never forgot him and decided to crack open the book (even after you read it a dozen times) since you wanted to recall your shared childhood together again. This only made Sam blush this time as he remarked that he actually came to the park to think of ideas on how to surprise Nathan for his upcoming birthday (since he was turning thirteen even though his birthday was many months away), but he also came because he remembered coming here to play with (Dog's Name) when they were just a few weeks old as a puppy, a rambunctious little creature who used to chew on Sam's tennis shoelaces or fall asleep in your warm lap, especially when you wore your plaid skirt. When you asked Sam about Nathan's birthday, you remarked that you wanted to help despite not seeing the little boy in years, which made Sam give you the address to the orphanage so you could join in the surprise since he knew you wouldn't take no for an answer and he knew that seeing you would be a birthday gift in itself for Nathan. Finally, when Sam asked you about what genealogy was, you told him that it was the study of family histories so you could create pedigrees and family trees for your clients in the hopes that you could find lost loved ones or give them some background into their paternal and maternal bloodlines. When you told Sam that you wanted to be a full-time genealogist instead of a part-time one like you were now, this made Sam so happy for you that he had to encourage you, "That's so awesome, Dots! I think you should go for it."

"You think I'm good for it?" 

"Are you kidding me? You just said you were helping a client find out about his royal blood since he had a theory that he was a descendant of King Henry VIII through one of his many lovers. That's so fascinating and if it's your dream, you should follow it." Sam exclaimed excitedly as his hazel eyes sparkled again and his smile created dimples on his cheeks before you blushed with your own beautiful smile and sparkling (Eye Color) irises, "Well, thanks. It means a lot coming from you. My parents and brothers support it, but it's nice to know that my best friend supports me too." 

"No problem, Dots...Speaking of family history, have you ever searched for your own, either paternal or maternal bloodline?" Sam asked the trademark question for any historian in the field before you nodded as you pulled a leather-bound journal from your small backpack, "Actually, I did. I have never shown my family and employer yet, but since you're here, would you like to see it?" You asked with sparkling (Eye Color) irises as you had the leather journal sitting on your plaid skirted-lap, before Sam nodded excitedly with his signature grin accompanied by beautiful hazel eyes, "I'd be honored." Giving Sam your own small smile, you opened the journal to the first page as you started with your father's ancestry. According to all the records you could find for your paternal bloodline, you learned that your father came from seven generations of circus performers dating back to the 1800's in America, but French-Canadian blood also ran through your paternal ties because your father was also a direct descendant of one of the King's Daughters from the 1700's. As far as your mother went, she was a direct descendant of a renowned male warrior from Scotland, which explained why your plaid skirt matched the exact tartan of your maternal clan. For every ancestor's picture or little note you had scribbled in the journal, Sam always asked meticulous questions and stayed engaged to each story of your lineage. And for each question, you always gave an answer unless the records could not be found for a particular ancestor. However, Sam showed so much interest in your family history that he wondered what you would find with his and Nathan's bloodlines as he asked, "Hey, Dots, I know I can't pay you much money, but do you think you could do a family history for my brother and I? I think that would be the perfect birthday gift."

"I don't just do this for the money; I do it for the love or finding family history, although the money is an added bonus...I'd be honored to do that family history for you and Nate, and it'll cost you nothing at all." You remarked as you patted your best friend's shoulder before you sighed happily, "I'm so glad we saw each other again. I was worried I would never see you again." 

"Me too. I missed you so much." Sam nodded as you grinned back, "I missed you too." Then, grabbing your leather journal as you stuffed it back into your backpack alongside Sam's book, your dog rose from the ground as you clutched the leash and Sam rose from the bench alongside you. Facing each other again, you and Sam hugged each other tightly before he shrugged, "So, I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, I'm not moving from Boston anytime soon. And stop by the house every so often. My parents and brothers miss you too and would love to see you again." You suggested with a smile as Sam interrogated you once more, "Of course...Same address and home phone number?"

"Yeah...See you around, Sam." You remarked as you took this time to kiss your best friend's forehead before you and (Dog's Name) started to saunter away. With his own wave to you from a distance, Sam grinned widely as he whispered under his breath, "Safe voyages, Dots." With a bubbling excitement in his heart and joy running through his veins, Sam stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets as he walked off to prepare for another late night adventure with Nathan as the sun set in the distance. Staring at its golden-orange rays, Sam felt at peace as he knew that he now had you again and "The Three Buccaneers" were back together again after a full six years. In the meanwhile, you stared at the same sun as you grinned over your shoulder, thankful to fate and God above that you were reunited with your childhood best friend. You were never sure you would ever see Sam and Nathan Morgan again, however, your prayers and wishes were finally answered...and all because your (Favorite Dog Breed) had to break off (his/her) leash and run across a Boston park into the arms of a teenage boy, a boy you knew all too well. What a twist of fate, what a twist of fate, indeed.


	4. Teen! Sam Drake X Fem! Reader - Friends to Lovers

Some weeks had passed since you and Sam met again in the park, and life had favored you both well. Sam was seeing Nathan more often for late night adventures away from the orphanage after dark and was getting paid more under the table for his job while you always met up with Sam in the same rendezvous areas for dates or for hanging out. Sometimes it was your house, other times the local diner, and most times, it was the park or the docks. You even brought Sam home for dinner with your family since he took your advice and decided to go see them. When they saw Sam again and found out that he and Nathan were okay and still in Boston, they nearly lost it because they had believed that the boys and their father had left for good. But when it was explained to them that the boys' father had given them up and sold his wife's belongings, your mother was beyond furious. Your parents even offered to take Sam and Nathan in as their own sons and raise them, however, the Morgan brothers both refused because they didn't want to be an emotional and financial burden on anyone, including you and your family, as tempting and altruistic as the offer was. The whole time you and Sam spent together since reuniting, he was always so interested to hear more stories about your genealogist work and your life in high school, and in return, you would curb his curiosity with your recollection of your own adventures. 

On one such meeting at your house so you could watch a Star Wars marathon, you told Sam the story of how you helped a man trace his history back several years to the French Revolution, allowing him to find a painter of aristocratic portraits who was his direct ancestor. And what made the story even more shocking was that the man and his ancestor looked like identical twins or doppelgängers once you were able to find pictures of them both. Sam was so fascinated by your stories that he asked, "I don't know if you've ever considered this but have you ever thought of writing about your genealogy clients?" 

"I haven't even given it much thought, but why do you ask?" 

"Well, I mean, you did win first place that Boston writing competition for that one essay you wrote based on that sentence prompt from Jane Eyre or The Scarlett Letter, something like that...And you did write that poem about the childhood you spent with me and Nathan to win second place in that same competition." Sam mentioned with twinkling hazel orbs as you nodded with a smile, "You aren't wrong." 

"You're always writing stuff in that little checkerboard notebook of yours and from what I've seen, I can guarantee that you'd make a good author." Sam remarked with a flirtatious wink of one eye while you giggled into the curled fingers of your dominant hand and (Dog's Name) laid in-between the two of you, her head in your plaid-skirted lap while Sam continued to pet behind your animal companion's ears. When a beat in time had elapsed, you finally looked to Sam before you smiled sweetly, "That's so sweet of you to say, so thanks." With another beat in time elapsed, you grinned with a giddy laugh as you clapped your hands excitedly while pulling a red leather journal out of your backpack, remarking, "By the way, I got something for you." 

As soon as the leather journal was in plain view, you flipped through the pages as you handed it to Sam, showing him the records and family tree you made for himself and Nathan for the younger boy's birthday. As his eyes scanned the journal pages of pictures, personal records, and even one diary entry from his ancestor, an explorer and minor pirate that history never recognized, Sam was fascinated by how much effort and detail you put into the journal that he couldn't help but hug you as a way of giving you his gratitude. Leaning into the tender embrace as you squeezed Sam tightly with your tiny arms, you two continued to hug before a famous scene from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back flashed on the screen, causing you to shush Sam with your hand covering his mouth as you responded with "This is my favorite part." Seeing you get so giddy on the pillow you used as a seat on the floor, Sam decided to be respectful even though you had seen the movie dozens of times because one, your favorite scene was on and two, Sam had never seen the movie before and really wanted to watch it with you as a date. Placing a pizza box in front of the two of you, you and Sam grabbed one slice of pepperoni pizza each as you tapped the tips of your slices together like you were clinking champagne glasses in celebration to commemorate your three-month anniversary since you two reunited again before nibbling off tiny pieces with each minute that your favorite scene of the film played. After a couple minutes of watching you two eat in front of (him/her), your dog whined and begged with widened eyes for some of the food before patting her paw against your leg, prompting you and Sam to roll your eyes as you picked off some pepperoni from your slices to feed (Dog's Name) whenever the other person wasn't looking. At one point in the film, the famous Sci-Fi smuggler was about to be placed in carbonite as Leia and Han exchanged their famous vows of "I love you" and "I know." You knew it was coming since you could literally quote the movie word-for-word since you had seen it so many times in a row, but the silent tears still got to you whenever you saw Han and Leia get separated after the biggest love confession of your day and age in film. After Episode V ended, Sam started to stutter in disbelief as he nearly had a nervous breakdown, "That can't be it...You can't just reveal someone's parent like that, cut off Luke's hand, and then get rid of the cool thief turned hero, especially now that he has a military leader and princess for a love interest!" 

"Yeah, that's it...Han dies in carbonite, Leia ends up being with Luke, and the Empire wins in the end." You sighed with your head hung low as Sam looked genuinely sad at these news before you started to laugh as you stated, "Just kidding! There's always Episode VI to wrap up this saga, so it's not over for Han, Leia, and Luke yet." Gaping at you with widened hazel eyes and an even wider mouth, Sam's face didn't show anything else but shock as he looked like he needed either a hug or an AED to cure him from your prank before he grabbed you into his arms so he could berate you playfully, "Oh, you asshole! Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack. You happy?"

"Okay, I have to admit that was mean. I'm sorry. Forgive me?" You replied flirtatiously with puppy dog eyes of (Eye Color) as Sam found himself unable to resist your feminine charms while he nodded, "Yeah, you're forgiven...but only if you give me another hug and stay in my arms as we watch what happens to Han, Leia, and Luke." 

"You got yourself a deal, Sam." You nodded with a tender grin before you jumped onto Sam's lap, allowing him the chance to sit behind you and encircle his long arms around your waist as he laid his chin on your shoulder. After popping The Empire Strikes Back VHS out of the television so you could insert the Return of the Jedi VHS, you and Sam cuddled on the mountain of pillows you had thrown in a pile on the floor as the film played on. And when the last film started to commence with a happy ending, you and Sam smiled in unison with Luke when he smiled at the Force ghosts of his former Jedi masters and father before you leaned your lips close to Sam's ear while you whispered something so personal and yet so true to your best friend. At once, Sam's hazel orbs widened in surprise as he turned around to make sure he heard you right since you and him didn't see each other as anything else but best friends when you both were children. What you just confessed was that you loved Sam even though it had only been three months since you reunited. However, he was trying to pursue a dating relationship with some Boston girl named Crystal that you knew about, which quickly turned into an on-off relationship as time went on according to what you knew about the two teenagers. But to be fair, Sam's actions on one of your previous dates with another boy (when he was still trying to pursue Crystal) caused you to cut the date short to be with him because he jumped into your date's car in a drive-in movie theatre when he went to get some snacks before the film; you begged Sam to get out of the car before your date killed him and your friend promised he would leave ONLY if you would meet him at a local diner on Saturday night to share some milkshakes, burgers, and fries with him. Needless to say, you kept your promise to share a meal with him just as he did for you, with your male date being none the wiser of Sam ever jumping into his car to speak to you. And the actions you and Sam shared between each other recently seemed more characteristic of how a boyfriend and girlfriend would treat each other than how two best friends of opposite genders would treat each other. 

However, it was a surprise that Sam shook his head to you as he replied sadly, "You know, I'm sorry, (Name)...But me and Crystal have a thing going on right now." With a sunken expression and somber eyes, you dropped your gaze from Sam as you sighed, "Oh, I totally understand. Forget I said anything."

"Shame..." Sam sighed sadly as he noticed you were getting increasingly upset by his rejection before his lips curled into a mischievous smirk as he quipped, "...because I would love to be your boyfriend." 

"What?" You gasped genuinely in surprise as your eyes shot back up to Sam while he pointed his index finger in your face with a chuckle, "Just kidding, right back at you! Man, you should've seen your face!" 

"You're such a piece of crap, Samuel Morgan!" You shouted as you punched the boy's arm as hard as you could before you decided to punish your friend by giving him the cold shoulder and the silent treatment. Okay, Sam was a true comedian and could convince anyone of anything due to his confidence even when he himself wasn't confident in his own plan; you had to hand it to the guy. But maybe that wasn't the best way to say you liked a girl back, especially when she poured her heart out to a guy and he pretended to refuse her proposal so convincingly. So it was no wonder that every time Sam would try to speak to you by crawling on his hands and knees on the floor to reach your eye level, you would turn away with your arms crossed over your chest as you still remained sitting on the pillows, angry and upset that he did that. This cycle of Sam getting your attention and you ignoring him continued for about five more minutes before the brunette male pleaded, "Awww, come on, (Name)....Come on, princess...Your highness, I'm sorry and I didn't mean to do that...Come on, Dots." 

As soon as he said your childhood nickname in order to get your attention, you could consider your attention directed at him now as your stoic expression wavered while you fought back a giggle, causing him to laugh too, "There's that beautiful smile I like to see." 

"You're lucky I forgive easily, otherwise, you'd never hear the end of it." You snarked back while sticking your tongue out at your friend before he rolled his eyes and joked again, "Thank God you're such a saint." 

"I really thought you were gonna say no to me saying I love you." You confessed to Sam as honestly as you could before he shook his head with his genuine puppy dog eyes and matching face of pure attractiveness, "And miss out on a strong-willed, intelligent, beautiful princess? I would've been a fool if I did that." 

"But what about you and Crystal?" 

"Crystal and I would've never worked, so I broke it off before it became a true dating relationship so I wouldn't lead her on ever since you and I reunited."

"You would really do that for me? Why?" 

"Because I would never want what happened to Han and Leia to happen to us ever again." Sam confessed back with a sheepish smile like as you grinned with teary (Eye Color) eyes. Honestly, you would think that a bad boy and charmer like Sam Morgan would be so good at smooth talking, but around you, he became a cheesy dork who couldn't even manage one full sentence without stuttering and sweating or making some nerdy reference, but now, he was your dork. But now that you thought about it, Sam's behavior in the past few weeks since the reunion in the park made more sense. Sure, Sam was always a gentleman on your dates together (which included but was not limited to holding the door open for you, pulling your chair out for you at dinner dates, paying the bill at meals, and lending you his jacket when it was too cold), but whenever you would go out somewhere, he would always have his hand around your shoulders and he would always want to be hugging you or holding your hand. Furthermore, Sam was always supporting you whenever you had a school or extracurricular function to attend. No matter what, Sam always reciprocated your altruism with his own random acts of kindness to let his actions speak for themselves. And you even started to remember that Sam had stroked a stray strand of dark auburn from your face to secure it behind your ear as he whispered "I love you" under his breath once when you took a nap in his arms, or at least when he thought you were fast asleep and taking a nap in his arms. To be honest, you wanted to whisper that you loved him back as you pretended to wake up from your nap that day because you never would've thought that Sam would say those words to you aloud since he wasn't a man who threw that phrase around lightly due to its deeper symbolism. However, you chose not to say anything that day because you didn't want to misinterpret what Sam said and ruin the relationship between the two of you. But now that you had confessed to him directly and he reciprocated your feelings, you decided to make up for that day you didn't tell Sam you loved him back as you did what you should've weeks ago. 

Grabbing Sam's shirt collar so you could pull him in closer as you smiled coquettishly, your hand cupped his cheek gently before your pink lips lingered on his for what seemed like forever. In the meanwhile, your arms snaked around his neck and your chest pressed against his so that your fingers could comb through his hair. At the same time, Sam could do nothing but smirk like Han Solo against your lips as he kissed your lips with his arms around your waist, his fingers digging into the fabric of your shirt. After a few moments, Sam lifted you into his lap with both arms as you straddled him back, lips locked and arms still secured around his neck, before he started to kiss your neck, leaving behind little nibbles every so often to watch you giggle once he figured out your reactions to his ministrations. With every neck kiss or nibble, Sam would chuckle against your flesh as you giggled at how ticklish his actions made you before he would suppress involuntary moans with each pleasant tug you gave to his scalp to egg him on. Unbeknownst to you two in your passionate make out session, the Morgan family journal dropped from your lap onto the bedroom floor and your dog sat on all four paws, panting with widened eyes as if (he/she) were grinning in victory that you two were together in one way or another. Well, if kissing after a confession made dating official, then this was probably the best way to show others that no one else could have you or Sam as lovers. With each smooch you and Sam shared that day, it cemented your bond together as you both refused to let each other go. And for these few moments, you knew you would take your time in order to fully savor Samuel Morgan and those luscious lips. Anyone could say what they wanted about Sam, but you did have to admit, he was a dork with a good sense of romance and an even bigger heart, but he was also one heck of a kisser. But now, he was yours and you were his, all because of a Star Wars film that gave you the gumption to confess, some pepperoni pizza on a Saturday date, and a loyal dog who made certain that you two reunited in that park. With the stars aligned perfectly, you not only had your friend back, but you gained so much more by reuniting after six years apart. You gained a boyfriend in your best friend from childhood, and when your best friend is also your boyfriend, it's actually the best feeling in the world. From now on, Sam was your confidant and your source of love different from platonic or familial affections, just as you were his. And as you stared deeply into those sparkling hazel eyes while his lips formed a tender grin, you knew you felt home as you kissed his cheek before you two resumed the kisses you exchanged between your lips, with Sam staring lovingly at your (Eye Color) orbs as he swept your dark auburn hair to the side so he could kiss your neck more for the rest of the date as you blushed red. 

After you two finished kissing, Sam decided to head out since he promised Nathan that they'd hang out later tonight. Knowing he had a duty to his brother, you nodded in understanding and told him to go be with his remaining family as you saw Sam out safely through the front door. With one last kiss exchanged between you two to consummate the start of a dating relationship, you promised Sam another date at your house as he gave his signature combo of charming hazel irises and dimpled smiles to signify his understanding before he bid you goodbye. After taking a few steps down the street, Sam turned back around to wave to you one last time as you waved back from the front door before he stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed towards the orphanage. At the same time, you locked the front door and rested the back of your head against the wood, grinning silently as you gave the laugh of a teenage girl hopelessly in love before you skipped happily up the stairs, daydreams of one Samuel Morgan and his love for you permeating your pretty, little head. Sam too was also thinking of you as he took a shortcut to the orphanage before he fist-pumped the air in triumph over the fact that you loved him back, thoughts of your shared feelings for him as well as just your beautiful self in general permeating his head as well. Never again would you and Sam be alone in the world. Never again would you and Sam know the pain of bitter separation. You had reunited by chance and you had each other as both friend and lover, so neither of you were going anywhere anytime soon. Needless to say, no one and nothing could tear your newfound duo apart as long as you both could help it and with you both supporting each other, you two couldn't fail. It was like "The Three Bucaneers" all over again as in youth, but one member was missing. However, fate and destiny would soon have more in store for you and the Morgan brothers as time went on. That was no lie; that was a promise written on the wall, set in stone.


	5. Teen! Sam Drake X Fem! Reader - A Boy's Joy

Ever since that confession of love you whispered in Sam's ear over some pizza during a Star Wars film marathon, you and Sam had grown even more closer as time went on. It wasn't to say that you two weren't already close anyways, but by choosing to be reciprocated best friends turned lovers, you both supported each other and grew from your shared experiences together. 

For example, whenever you would have a competition for your fencing team or equestrian team, Sam would always be sitting in the front row with your family, cheering you on. When you were training with your fencing blade or your auburn and black horse Queen Anne (who you named after a pirate ship because of your love for Sam and because she was a new horse you were borrowing from a friend of your father's, who used to do equestrian vaulting in the circus when she was younger) for an upcoming match, Sam never failed to be there to watch you practice and would even join in if you needed a sparring partner. Although he was a formidable fencing opponent, you would have some new trick up your sleeve that would knock him off his feet during a fencing duel, but with time, Sam did learn from you in order to fight better. Once, he even managed to get you onto your back before he held his blade to your neck, straddling you from above before leaning in for a kiss after pulling up his helmet, causing you to laugh and kiss him back after you lifted your own helmet up. While Sam was impressed by both your horseback riding and your fencing, he was actually in awe more whenever he saw you do gymnastics all over Queen Anne because when the positions you got into on the horse made it appear as though you would collapse and be trampled upon, you would always manage to get back up onto the saddle to ride again, giving Sam a mini heart attack in the process from his intense worry that you would get hurt. However, during one of your many equestrian practices, a loud noise from a construction site echoed throughout Boston as your horse started to buck and whinny while you tried to get control of Queen Anne. Were you scared? Of course. But could you show it? Absolutely not. Any horse rider knew that their steed could sense fear in their masters and would try to snatch control from the human if that human showed fear. Therefore, you buckled down and clutched the reins, calling for your horse to stop as Sam looked on in worry from his sitting position on the fence. While you did eventually get thrown from Queen Anne due to her being startled by the noise and Sam worriedly offered to take you to the hospital in case you had a concussion, you managed to snap back off the ground without pause as you stated the horse just got startled and that you both were fine before you got back on Queen Anne. You even went to the field medic on staff that day to make sure you didn't have a concussion to calm your boyfriend's nerves before she cleared you to ride again. In all his life, aside from his mother, Sam had never seen a girl so strong. So when he saw you fall off a horse or get smacked by a fencing sword when you were down only for you to get back up, he was beyond amazed. Your courage in the face of adversity in fencing and equestrian sports even inspired Sam to do the unthinkable and get on a horse as well since he never had done that before but he always wanted to try it for himself since he knew you rode since you were five. That's why you let him ride another horse your friend had, a pure black stallion by the name of "Sic Parvis Magna," or "Greatness from Small Beginnings" in Latin. It seemed as though Sam's lessons in Latin were paying off as he was impressed by both how much you retained despite no formal training in the language at school or church (since you were not Roman Catholic but were still involved in a Christian-based religion) and how you named a horse after his favorite Latin quote from Sir Francis Drake. After teaching Sam the verbal commands to use on this particular horse, you helped the man climb onto the black stallion as the animal whinnied with his head flying back once your boyfriend was straddling the saddle. However, while Sam was afraid of being thrown from the horse, he did not show it outwardly as he started to lead the horse around in a circle around the pen, with him bopping up and down in rhythm with Sic Parvis Magna's slow gallops. At the same time, you clicked your tongue to command Queen Anne to gallop forward faster so you and her could ride beside Sam and his stallion, neck-in-neck. As soon as you and Sam managed to get your mare and stallion into slow gallops on circles around the fenced pen, you looked to your boyfriend before you asked while trying not to bounce in your straddling position on the saddle, "So, this better than fencing or the same?" 

"The same, although the fencing is better." Sam admitted while you asked, "Really? Why?"

"Pirates didn't have horses. They had swords and ships." 

"Touché, buccaneer. You got me there." You shrugged as Sam chuckled while you two kept riding around the pen before he chuckled, "Hey, Dots, I can't thank you enough for letting me try riding a horse. I thought I would've been thrown off by now and laying in a pile of broken fence."

"No problem, Captain. I'm also glad Sic Parvis Magna took a good liking to you so quickly. He usually doesn't become so tame, especially for male riders." You quipped as Sam sat up more straight in the saddle like a professional war general posing for a portrait, his tone jokingly haughty even with the Boston accent, "Well, you could say I know how to charm my way through life." 

"Especially after I have to come save you after you do something dangerous, stupid, or both because you can be an idiot sometimes...But you're my idiot and I wouldn't have it any other way." You replied with a small giggle as Sam shook his head, failing to suppress the laugh for your joke even if it was at his expense, before he nodded, "Well, you're not wrong, so I can agree with that statement." With both of you chuckling lightly as you continued to gallop in circles around the fenced pen, you and Sam just spent the entire date talking as you controlled Sic Parvis Magna and Queen Anne with your separate pairs of reins, bouncing up and down in your saddles with each change in fluid conversation, before you two decided to go get some grub at the local diner you frequented for your dates. 

As far as your dating relationship was concerned, what you and Sam had was pure and genuine, the poster child of true love. However, your relationship wasn't without fault since all humans were not perfect and couples sometimes had bumps in the road with their relationships due to the potholes of life. And while you and Sam both saw each other at your best the majority of the time, you also saw each other at your worst every once in a while. For example, Sam once came to your house to pick you up on his motorcycle and take you to a local flower shop so he could buy you a bouquet. When he was short on cash due to helping out Nathan, you helped him pay the remaining balance with no strings attached as he gave you a grateful smile before you two drove to the cemetery where Cassandra Morgan was buried so you could honor her with the flowers. Holding hands as chills ran up both of your spines, you and Sam sighed sadly when you remembered that she was still gone before you looked to your boyfriend as he stared lovingly back at you. You sensed that Sam didn't want to go alone but he wanted to visit his deceased mother as he told you so aloud in the flower shop, and he wasn't sure if you would bail or not. So when you offered to go with him so he wouldn't be alone, Sam knew that he could trust you and that he had chosen the right girl because you stood behind him when he needed you the most. As soon as you made it to the gravestone, you gingerly placed the bouquet down as if you were tucking in a child at bedtime while Sam kissed his index and middle fingers before pressing the digits to the freezing concrete. After a few minutes of visiting Cassandra at her grave to catch her up to your current life situation by speaking to her aloud as if she were sitting in front of you, you and Sam bid Cassandra goodbye until the next time you would decide to visit her grave to memorialize her. 

Afterwards, you and Sam decided to get some McDonald's takeout and hang out by the docks as you both started to converse with deep, long talks to catch each other up on life. However, Sam seemed to be having an off-day despite his genuine happiness that he was seeing you after a week of being apart due to his work, but you didn't want to be happy right now if he was so upset. You figured that Sam was still upset because he visited his mother's grave, but when he didn't initiate conversation first but sighed sadly instead, you decided to ask Sam what was wrong with a look that expressed genuine concern for his wellbeing and Nathan's, "Sam...I noticed that you didn't seem like yourself today. I just wanted to let you know that if you ever wanted to talk, I'm here, and if not, then I'm still here." 

After a few moments of thought, Sam nodded at you as his hazel eyes showed nothing but sadness and gratitude while he joked with a Star Wars reference, "I love you, your worshipfulness." 

"I know, nerfherder." You quipped back as you and Sam nudged each other's shoulders playfully as you both sat on the wooden fence of the docks before the brunette sighed, "I just don't wanna seem like a burden to you." 

"And you won't..." You replied as you pat Sam's shoulder with your gentle hand while he grabbed your hand and kept it in place on his shoulder before he sighed deeply again.  Looking to Sam for answers in regards to his current mood as he wrapped his arms around his legs while he rested his chin on his knees, you watched Sam turn towards you with somber hazel irises as he whispered, "I don't know what to do nowadays and I now know I can't do it alone." 

"In regards to what?"

"Nathan." Sam sighed as you rubbed his back with your outstretched palm before you interrogated further to get to the bottom of the issue, "What's wrong?" 

"Nathan hasn't been himself for the past few days and nothing I do helps. I hate to see him so upset, but I can't help the way he feels because you can't control someone else's reactions or emotions to problems...He hasn't been eating or sleeping properly because of it and as much as he tries to lie about it, I know he's not doing well."

"Any reason why he started feeling this way or when he first started feeling like that?" You questioned intently to find out why your boyfriend's little brother was so upset before Sam shrugged lightly as he answered matter-of-factly, "Nate didn't start this until I saw him last Saturday night and from how I know those kids acted at that orphanage, you and I know how they can be cruel...Let's just say that my brother is excluded and feels so alone in that orphanage. I wish I could get him out on my own, but they would never let me take him. They kicked me out for being a juvenile delinquent years ago, and they want to keep my brother from following in my footsteps."

"You're giving it all your effort and time, Sam. You and I both know that you're trying your best to provide for him and as long as you try your best every day, then you can't be disappointed with yourself. Nathan knows you're trying and he couldn't ask for a better brother." You explained as you tried to cheer up the older Morgan brother, whose hazel eyes were glassy from all the emotions running through his head as he hugged his legs tighter. Wrapping your dominant arm around both of his shoulders, you grabbed one of his hands in yours as he rested his head on your shoulder while you rested your cheek on his temple. Staring lovingly into your (Eye Color) irises with his own hazel ones, Sam contemplated every word you said as he repeated it like a broken record in his head before he nodded with newfound gumption and self-confidence, "I couldn't ask for a better brother or girlfriend either...Thanks, Dots. I don't know how you put up with us, but all I can say is that you must be a saint." 

"Well, I'm no perfect Christian saint, Morgan...But we're the three buccaneers and we need to stick together because if we don't, you two idiots will get out of line. But you're my idiots so I don't mind...Not one bit." You joked as Sam stuck his tongue out at you before you chuckled as you brushed his hair back, kissing his forehead sweetly as he kissed your neck from his current position. Giggling with every soft kiss, you hugged Sam closer to you before you two decided to leave the docks and go take a nice midnight stroll through Boston. And as you walked hand-in-hand, you vowed that you would find a way to help Nathan so some of the burden could be taken off Sam's shoulders. Sure, Sam Morgan was one of the strongest people you knew, but he was still so young and still taking care of his little brother, even if he secretly enjoyed raising Nathan. But he couldn't do this alone because it was too much for him, so if you were there to help, you could make your boyfriend feel like the whole weight of the world wasn't on his shoulders twenty-four hours every day, three hundred and sixty-five days a year. Therefore, you were determined to go see Nathan again before his birthday in two months since you were given Sam's hearsay evidence about the boy's neglect by the other nuns and orphans who had given up on him. You didn't know how you would cheer the boy up, but you were determined to help in some way on a day when you were free from work, extracurricular activities, and school. 

As luck would have it, Evelyn managed to give you a couple days off since she needed time to herself and wanted you to have your rest before you came back to work for her again. So you decided to choose a Saturday to go see Nathan after canceling plans with Sam when he called your house phone. After spending the whole morning at two A.M., making all kinds of sandwiches (even grilled cheese and classic peanut butter and jelly) alongside some homemade cookies, you made sure that you were all dolled up to see Nathan. As you put your hair into a half-up, half-down style, you decided to wear a necklace that Sam had found in a pawn shop as an anniversary gift of you guys being dating partners for a couple months alongside your family tartan-inspired skirt, a nice blouse that complimented the tartan colors well, and a crocheted cardigan with many pockets. After applying minimal makeup to your face so you still had a natural look but didn't look like you just rolled out of bed, you left an extra plate of cookies on the counter alongside a handwritten note to let your parents and brothers know where you were before you left the house through the front door. With your backpack slung over your shoulder and a wooden picnic basket in the crook of your elbow while you held a plate of cookies in the other hand, you walked out to the driveway as you came close to your motor vehicle. Straddling your sleek black motorcycle as you strapped your helmet on and secured your basket of food (even the plate of cookies inside the basket) to the back, you slammed your fingers into the triggers on the handlebars as the engine revved and rumbled before you reversed out of the driveway and onto the street of your neighborhood. Then, pulling up to the light, you waited for the little glass and plastic contraption to turn green before you turned left onto the next street so you could make it to the orphanage when they first opened at eight in the morning. You loved that your brothers had saved up enough money to buy you a motorcycle as a 16th birthday gift once you were old enough to drive rather than a car. They knew that you secretly enjoyed the thrill of the smaller, faster machine better, even if you weren't surrounded on all sides by four doors of metal and glass as safety precautions, so they wanted to surprise you for your 16th birthday with a gift they knew you'd love. Truth be told, (Older Brother's Name) and (Younger Brother's Name) knew you had saved up enough money of your own as you made a down payment so you could reserve the motorcycle as yours before the next buyer came along to get it, but you were having difficulties making payments on the motorcycle because you were helping your parents out with bills and college funds for you and your brothers. So your brothers paid for it on behalf of you without your knowledge, and when you found out, you were over the moon with excitement. Come to think of it, you even believed that you kissed both of your brothers' cheeks in gratitude for the gift and even let them borrow the motorcycle if they needed it. In your current day and age, with the motorcycle speeding down the street as you tried to remember all the streets that could lead you to the orphanage, you finally managed to find the large building as you parked your motorcycle and secured it in the space. As you grabbed the plate of cookies from the motorcycle while leaving the picnic basket behind, you mentally prepared yourself for how Nathan was going to react when he saw you again as you sauntered over to the large front door, giving it a loud knock as your fist rapped on the wood. After a few moments of silence with no answer after you checked your wristwatch to make sure that you had the right time, you knocked again before you heard the lock jiggle as the door flew open. At once, a fair-skinned Catholic nun opened the door to you as she smiled kindly upon you with her brown eyes as you saw little tufts of blonde curls peaking from under her headdress while she asked, "Hello, Miss, can I help you?" 

"Yes, Ma'am. I was looking for a boy residing here in your orphanage. I'm looking for Nathan Morgan." You answered politely as the nun rolled her eyes with a small chuckle before she asked with all seriousness, "Oh goodness me, what did he do now? I promise that whatever he did, we'll pay for the damages and scold him later."

"Oh, no, Ma'am. He didn't do anything. I just wanted to visit him since I haven't seen him since I was ten and he was five. He's a childhood friend of mine and I thought it'd be okay to see him again, but if it's not, I can leave at once." You answered politely as the nun was about ready to make a reply that you were allowed to come in before a dark-skinned Catholic priest shook his head as he sauntered from the next room, "No, you don't need to leave. I actually think it's refreshing for the boy to finally have a visitor since no one sees him." In your head, you wanted to remark that both adults were clueless as to the late night visits between Sam and Nathan, but you decided against it because you didn't want the boys to get in trouble and you weren't a moron or stranger to bending the rules because of the Morgan brothers in your youth. As you remained civil and silent, Father Duffy looked to you as he saw no shred of sin in your eyes or demeanor before he politely asked his female employee with a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Sister Gale, please let the young lady in and go get Nathan. I'll be speaking with the young lady in the kitchen." 

"Right away, Father." Sister Gale nodded with hope in her voice for the little boy and sparkling chocolate irises as she rushed upstairs to get him while Father Duffy sat down with you at the kitchen table. After explaining your side of the story that you were simply a childhood friend who hadn't heard from or seen Sam and Nathan because they were in the orphanage after their father left them when their mom died, Father Duffy remarked that it was sweet of you to come since he had noticed a change in the boy's behavior but didn't know why. You also explained that you just wanted to visit Nathan today since you didn't have to go to school or go to work for an elderly lady as a housekeeper, which made Father Duffy happy to see someone who was productive about their life and who also cared about the Morgan brothers when others gave up on them so easily. The kind gentleman even remarked that while Sam was kicked out of the orphanage for repeated delinquency, he did like the boy and always hoped for the best for Sam; he just hoped that Sam would one day find peace and if it was with you, a seemingly good Christian girl with an equally-seeming good influence on behavior, then he and Nathan would be okay. As you laughed in conversation about the Morgan brothers and even your work in genealogy (which Father Duffy asked if you might do one for him since he was curious and which you agreed to do as a favor), you heard two pairs of footfalls clack on the stairs before you saw Nathan and Sister Gale enter the kitchen. At once, you placed the plate of cookies on the kitchen table before you rose from your wooden seat to come in front of the little boy. With wide blue eyes and a baby face staring up at you, Nathan scanned his eyes around your physique from your head to your feet, finally electing to stare dead center at your face. Blue eyes scanned into your soul as your (Eye Color) irises stared back at him, with a tearful smile on your face as you clasped your hands together in front of your skirt, before you began to speak, "I...I don't know if you remember me or not, but I sure do remember you. You, me, and Sam used to hang out all the time when we were kids, and we used to call ourselves 'The Three Buccaneers.' And when we were little...you...You used to call me Dots because of my freckles." Staring at your dark auburn hair, fair skin, and your (Eye Color) orbs, it started to make Nathan's memory clear as he nodded slowly in understanding, but it still wasn't enough. However, that nickname...

Dots. Such a simple nickname and yet so symbolic. That right there had Nathan sold. As soon as that was uttered from your red lips, he knew exactly who you were. You didn't know how Nathan would react ultimately even though you came up with possible scenarios in your head, but none of them could compare to the heartwarming moment that unfolded in front of your very eyes. After taking what seemed like giant leaps across the wooden floor, Nathan crashed into your chest as his arms encircled your hips, silent tears sliding down his plump cheeks as he squeezed his eyes shut. Immediately recovering from the shock of his sudden movement, you grabbed Nathan up into your arms as you tried not to cry yourself, with one hand stroking through his brown hair and the other hand pressing him more tightly into your chest. Even though they didn't admit it aloud, Father Duffy and Sister Gale did think that it was so sweet since they had never seen Nathan act that way towards anyone aside from Sam when he was a resident of the orphanage before being kicked out. But to see Nathan do this towards someone he hadn't seen in years, even a person who seemed like a total stranger at first, it was definitely a front-row seat of watching God's love in action as both adults performed the Sign of the Cross hand gesture over their hearts. After the tender hug, you turned to Father Duffy and Sister Gale, promising to have Nathan back by supper before it got dark and that you were just going to check out some library books and read them in the park. You also mentioned that you made the extra plate of cookies for the orphanage employees and the kids and that they were on the table should anyone want some. Thanking you for the food, Father Duffy saw you and Nathan off at the door before you wrapped a motherly arm around the boy's shoulder, remarking jokingly that he was turning into quite the man who would charm all the ladies as your boyfriend's brother laughed in response to your joke. Then, making your way to your motorcycle, you handed Nathan an extra helmet after he marveled at the sleek black vehicle, walking around in circles as he had to inspect each individual part and ask about the mechanics of the motorcycle. All the while, you were smiling and laughing at Nathan's reactions before you both straddled the motorcycle and drove away towards the park. 

After leaving the motorcycle in a space near the park, you and Nathan started to walk towards you and Sam's favorite spot as the little boy asked with suspicious eyes and narrowed eyebrows, "Wait, I thought you told Father Duffy that we were checking out library books and reading the park." 

"Well, I did say that, but I may have told a little white lie...Truth is that I already have the books with me and we're actually having a picnic in the park. But I thought it'd be a good way for us to catch up since I'm sure Sam has already told you about us reuniting again." You replied over your shoulder as you started unfolding the blanket, shaking it out first before laying it on the grass. At once, Nathan set the basket down on the blanket as he quipped back at you with a childish giggle and his head shaking back and forth, "You sly dog...Of course I knew about you and Sam, and I do mean everything...But I never would've thought sweet little Dots would lie to a priest of God. How can you even live with yourself?" 

"Ah, shut up, you little punk." You snarked back as you and him nudged each other's arms with your elbows before you both sat down on the blanket, unpacking food from the basket before you both sat down to eat.   
Starting with the large bag of potato chips and the multitude of sandwiches you made, you bit into some potato chips while Nathan dug into his delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich before you finally took a bite of your mustard, cheese, and Salami sandwich. As you ate, you both talked about your lives up to this point to catch each other up and even told Nathan about your genealogy occupation since he had overheard you talking about it with Father Duffy. That's when you brought out your leather journal from your backpack as you showed Nathan your own family history, all the while, him being fully engaged into the stories of your ancestors when he asked good questions with twinkling baby blues and a dimpled smile ever-present on his baby face. This only prompted Nathan to ask the following question as you two munched on your soft, delicious cookies: "So, does Sam know you did this with me today?"

"Actually, he doesn't because I wanted to surprise you before your birthday." You admitted sheepishly before Nathan's eyes widened, "You remembered my birthday?" 

"And Sam's too, silly. Like I told you a few conversations ago, I never forgot about you two and all the history we had together." You giggled before you pat Nathan's hair as if he were a dog while he asked, "(Dog's Name) still living?" 

"Yep. And my parents and brothers still live at the same address. Although, (Older Brother's Name) is moving to London to learn biology there in college and (Younger Brother's Name) wants to be a director and producer in television or film one day...In fact, I sometimes see some of you in my little brother but I know that he could never replace you and Sam..." You explained to Nathan as he became fascinated by the fact that nothing had changed for you except for the fact that you went from a little girl who dreamed of pirates and princesses at night in her bed to a young woman who was working part-time for a former historian, competing in equestrian and fencing sports, and getting good grades in high school all at the same time. He even asked if he could attend one of your equestrian or fencing matches and you told him that if you could find another free day in your schedule, you'd try to visit him at least once a week or a couple times a month and if you were competing, he and Sam were definitely invited. You also promised to visit with Sam on his birthday in a couple weeks and for holidays (especially Christmas) late at night when the orphans were supposed to be in bed. 

This made Nathan ecstatic to see you again as you sat in the park to talk once more, this time about why Nathan was so upset at the orphanage because Sam had mentioned it to you and seemed pretty upset that his little brother was upset. Normally, Nathan and Sam wouldn't confide in anyone that wasn't the two of them due to a history of trust between them. But you weren't just anyone; you were a childhood friend and Nathan knew he could trust you, so he told you even more than what he told Sam. The orphanage now had a new rule where every child could paired up with at least one other child to sit with for meals, better known as "Meal Buddies." Whenever the time came to choose a buddy, Nathan was ALWAYS left out because there was always an odd number of boys living there and the other boys purposefully banded together to exclude him on purpose. It upset Nathan because to add insult to injury, they would also exclude him from sitting NEAR their tables and they would talk bad about his mom and brother behind his back, with the nuns and Father Duffy doing nothing about it since Nathan wouldn't speak up due to a lack of hope for resolution. As soon as you found out, you didn't do anything but hold the boy's hand as you apologized for his pain and gathered up the courage to speak your mind, "Nathan Morgan, there are good people in this world and also bad. But every person has a choice to be either good or bad, and you need to know that you've chosen to be a good person. You've done nothing to these boys to provoke such hatred, and your brother and I hate to see you so upset by it...I'll tell you this much: Sam and I love you so much and we'll never leave you; nothing is gonna change that fact, I promise...And if I have to go up to that orphanage every night after work to eat supper with you so you can have a meal buddy and not be picked on, then I'll do it...I would do anything, even travel the world, for you two." 

Feeling nothing short of gratitude for what you promised to him and how your planned day seemed to be an attempt to cheer him up without his brother's knowledge, Nathan hugged you around the neck as he rested his head on your shoulder, thanking you for the nice day. With estrogen and motherly love flowing from your blood to your heart before finally entering your arms, you joined in Nathan's embrace as you promised him that things would get better in time and that you, Sam, and your family would do your best to help him whenever you were able. This moment was only made more heartwarming when Nathan offered his unused napkin to you so you could wipe your eyes since you were crying over his misfortune, causing you to thank him back as you wiped your eyes before you brushed his bangs aside so you could plant a tender kiss to his forehead.

As the sun started to set in the distance, you and Nathan stared at its beautiful rays before you both started heading back to the motorcycle so you could deliver him back to the orphanage. You both didn't want to separate again and make Nathan go back there, but you knew that you'd see each other again because of the late night adventures that would ensue in the future with all three of the childhood buccaneers together again. Once you parked the motorcycle and headed to the orphanage's front door, you were greeted by Sister Gale as she informed Nathan that it was time for supper and it was soup night, which prompted you and Nathan to hug one last time as he asked, "I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah, I'll definitely come back before your birthday." You nodded in your embrace as you and Nathan parted before he smiled while he stared into your eyes with his baby blues, "See you, Dots."

"Goodbye, my little man." You waved back as you headed back to your parked motorcycle before you drove off, waving back to Sister Gale and Nathan with one hand, as the blonde nun leaned down to the boy's level to remark, "I like her; she seems like a nice girl."

"The best."

"And she makes the best cookies. Honestly, if she keeps bringing these every time she picks you up for the day, then I will say yes every time." Sister Gale explained with a smile as Nathan quipped with his puppy dog eyes, "Now, who's expressing the deadly sin of Gluttony, Sister Gale?" 

"Oh, you cheeky little monkey! Go wash up and get in there to eat." Sister Gale scolded playfully as she pushed Nathan towards the staircase before he joked back with a chuckle, "I'm going, I'm going!" Out of all the nuns, Nathan liked Sister Gale the best because she was the only one who didn't treat him like a scoundrel or give up on him easily. She also was the closest thing he had to a mom since being at the orphanage until he reunited with you again. But now that he had time to ponder about the day as he washed his hands and his face, Nathan stared at himself in the mirror as he grinned mischievously before snorting out a laugh. If this was his birthday gift from Sam this year, then this was definitely the best one he had ever gotten because it was a person from his childhood, someone who reminded him of the happy memories he had with his mom before her death. But the joke was actually going to be on Sam when he found out that you visited Nathan earlier to cheer him up about the Meal Buddy situation rather than wait on his birthday to surprise him with your presence. 

Eventually, word did get back to Sam though Nathan about the surprise visit you made in order to cheer him up after the Meal Buddy situation. Sam was also more surprised and overjoyed to hear that you kept your word to Nathan about going to the orphanage's suppers to be his buddy and bodyguard during the meal so he wouldn't be excluded or harassed, free of charge. He knew that Crystal would never go so far as to do that, but you, you always went the extra mile for the Morgan brothers. Words couldn't even describe how thankful the boys were to have you again, but they also couldn't express how much Sam's love for you was cemented when he found out about your altruistic deeds. So actions were used instead to show you how much the boys appreciated you. As the next two years went on and you blossomed into a senior, you kept your word to the boys as you continued your monthly visits to Nathan at the orphanage or had some diner dates with Sam. And on Nathan's birthday, you made a late-night appearance for an adventure for the first time as you allowed Nathan to look at his family history, a personal birthday gift from you. Afterwards, you three decided to go get a bite to eat at a new restaurant that opened up (which had the best tacos according to you and Sam, ever since you both managed to find the place during one of your walk-and-talk dates in the park) before sharing some cookies that you made specifically for Nathan's birthday that morning. You even put a birthday candle on top of the tower of cookies, sang "Happy Birthday" to Nathan, and then let the boy make a wish before digging in as you three stargazed by the docks. Even a pretend pirate fight in the park was enacted as part of the birthday celebration, complete with kid-sized eyepatches, bandanas, and plastic swords, to make it the best birthday you could make it for Nathan since you three reunited again. And to be honest, it was the best birthday Nathan could have asked for because he had you and Sam, and since he knew you two were an item, it was almost as if he had a future sister-in-law or even a second mother looking after him. What Nathan didn't realize was that you and Sam were thinking the same thing. To commemorate the night before Nathan had to be returned to the orphanage without being caught by the employees on the night staff on the younger boy's birthday, you took a picture on your Polaroid camera and placed it in a new entry of the journal for the Morgan family history. At once, Sam asked you, "What's that for?"  After waiting a minute or two to gather your thoughts, you smiled back at them sweetly as you explained yourself, "Well, I like to keep my genealogy records for my family up to date and the three of us are starting a new chapter in our lives." With pleasant glances exchanged between Nathan and Sam at your statement, both boys looked at you lovingly as they pulled you into a group hug, giving a kiss to both of your cheeks at the same time while you giggled at the ticklish feeling of their affection before they decided it was time to return Nathan to the orphanage before the nuns noticed he was missing. Once you got back to the orphanage, you and Sam gave Nathan one last hug before separating again until the next time that you three met again. After dropping Nathan back off, you and Sam decided to walk back to your Boston home, hand-in-hand, so he could be a gentleman and make sure you got home safely. Speaking of wanting to get married and have children when the younger Morgan brother was old enough to legally leave the orphanage unless you two could adopt him legally when you both were adults over eighteen with stable occupations and a good home, you and Sam eventually did make it to your front door before you bid each other goodbye. Then, like the cheesy pair of lovers that you were deep down inside, you and Sam locked lips just as the couples always did in the movies before the brunette boy you grew to love started to leave. However, you invited Sam to spend the night at the house since it was past midnight and it was just going to be you and your brothers at home. Taking the offer, Sam entered the home as you both headed upstairs to watch a classic 80's film together, snuggling in your bed under the blankets as the screen flashed pretty colors and dramatic scenes, until Morpheus whisked you both away to sleep.


	6. Teen! Sam Drake X Fem! Reader - No Longer Morgan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Hey, everyone. Here's another oneshot for Teen Sam Drake x Female Reader and I hope that everyone enjoys. Comments are always welcome as always and I will try to do some domestic scenes between Sam, Nathan, and the female reader in future oneshots as well as include some oneshots with the reader and Sam as adults with canon events from the fourth Uncharted game and its DLC too. 
> 
> I will also include links to videos that I used as reference for the dialogue in this specific chapter of the oneshots for Teen Sam Drake x Female Reader so plagiarism will not be an issue:
> 
> 1.) https://youtu.be/qfFULf5_sfI
> 
> 2.) https://youtu.be/k3etznzti_4
> 
> Happy reading! :)

"(Name) (Last Name)."

You had finally made it to this point in your life, and as soon as your name was called, you stepped onto the stage with pride and a bright smile. Grabbing your principal's hand as you shook hands with him, you grabbed your high school diploma as flashes from cameras snapped pictures before cheers of your name and words of congratulations echoed the room, all for your accomplishment. You had made it through primary school and had made it to eighteen years old without being arrested or close to death. Graduating with academic honors due to high grades, you didn't have to take a guess as to who was in the front row. Not only was your family there but Evelyn, Sully, and the Morgan brothers were in attendance as well to see you. Just seeing Sam and even Nathan in the audience, clapping and cheering loudly for you like rambunctious fans at a sporting events while you waved at them with your diploma in one hand, made that moment of graduating high school and becoming an adult all the more special. You even took another Polaroid and placed it into your genealogical journal just to add more memories with the extension of your family through the dating relationship you and Sam shared. 

After your last night of childhood, your late night adventures with the Morgan brothers became more frequent because for one, your parents ONLY expected you to graduate high school with a valid diploma since you were legally an adult who could make her own decisions about college, marriage, and careers; two, you lived with Sam in an apartment you both paid for together with your respective occupations. Sure, you were fresh out of high school and unmarried while living with a long-term boyfriend that you had been dating for about two years, but at least you could say that you could pay your own bills with your own money since you still had a stable gig with Evelyn. Besides, you and Sam were planning on getting married and having children of your own once both of you managed to spring Nathan out of the orphanage and have enough money to take care of all three of you, both pre-matrimony and post-matrimony. But what you didn't expect was for Nathan to become a permanent resident of you and Sam's home without legal adoption and tons of tedious paperwork needed. 

It was 1990 and Sam had planned another late night adventure with Nathan since he had a surprise for him. You knew all about it and the fact that Sam had gotten a new job, an even-better paying job working for some archaeologist or treasure hunter since you two moved in the apartment together as boyfriend and girlfriend turned fiancés engaged to be married soon. That's why you encouraged Sam to go to the place where his father sold their mother's belongings so Nathan would have a chance to see it again. You wanted to go with them and see the look on Nathan's face when he was caught up with everything going on in your lives or when he saw his mother's belongings again, but you had to work at Evelyn's that night. If only you knew then what you knew now, then you wouldn't have been so encouraging of them sneaking into someone's house in the middle of the night. Regardless of what you would've said or done, the Morgan brothers would've done what they did anyways and then you would've had to drag your idiots out of trouble...again. 

After working long hours for Evelyn that day, you decided to stay the night with your employer since she asked you to help her with some reorganization of her historical belongings. You also decided to stay because she was becoming more ill and you worried for her because she was very kind and paid you well. Later, as you were helping Evelyn with her medication so she could get ready for bed, you both heard some crashes and smashes downstairs as the elderly lady asked, "What was that?"

"I don't know. Should I go investigate?" You questioned your employer as you grabbed a flashlight and a baseball bat before Evelyn nodded, "I'll call the police. You be careful."

"You too." You called out over your shoulder as you rounded the staircase, being careful to avoid stepping on a squeaky floorboard so your intruders wouldn't notice you, before you saw two figures in the main library. From what you could see in the darkness from your hiding spot behind a nearby wall, one was wearing a tan archaeologist hat and the other was wearing a Roman war helmet. You also noticed they were reading from a white leather journal before you took your moment to attack as you held the bat over your head while you shined the flashlight on the boys. At once, Sam stepped in front of Nathan to shield him from the blow that was sure to come. Fortunately for them, you never struck with the bat as you recognized the boys before you flung the bat away from you with a loud clang, shouting in shock, "Sam?! Nathan?!"

"Hey, Dots." Nathan waved sheepishly from behind Sam as he clutched his brother's shirt before you hugged your idiots and questioned them, "What are you two doing here?" 

"This is where our dad sold our mom's things, so I came here to show him everything. But the real question is what are you doing here?" Sam joked sheepishly with his trademark smirk and his sparkling hazel eyes as you shoved his arm before you answered, "I work for the old lady that lives here." 

"So this is where you always worked? You've been here the whole time?" Sam continues to interrogate you as you nodded without a word spoken before you shook your head and scolded them, "I could've killed you guys if I hadn't recognized you."

"With a baseball bat?" Sam quipped as you shook your head again with a motherly sigh before you punched your boyfriend lightly in the gut and warned, "You know my boss just called the cops and they're on their way. Now I'm gonna have to explain my way through this to my boss so she don't shoot you guys and think you're common criminals."

"Love you too, Dots." Sam grinned as he hugged you with a kiss to your cheek before you smiled back with a "Yeah, yeah, yeah" escaping your lips, followed by a "But you owe me big time, Morgan." That's when Sam promised to do whatever YOU wanted to do that night when you went back to the apartment if you could somehow manage to get him and Nathan out of this predicament. With those eyes and that face, who could stay mad at Sam Morgan? You knew you sure couldn't. So with narrowed eyes and a shake of your head followed by a gentle grin, you walked towards the door to explain to Evelyn that the disturbance was your mischievous boyfriend and his little brother and that the police were not necessary.

Unfortunately for you, Evelyn had entered the room with a pistol, loaded and aimed to fire. Pointing the barrel at Nathan and Sam, Evelyn walked backwards until she reached an armchair while she responded, "Put up your hands...Slowly."

At once, Sam shielded Nathan with his body as he suggested, Hey, there's no need for that."

"What is he holding?" Evelyn asked, anger increasing with every word of her British accent, as Sam tried to keep the situation from resulting in someone getting shot, "Hey, hey, hey, you keep your gun on me." 

"Wait, Miss Evelyn. Don't shoot. These are my friends." You warned pleadingly as you stood in front of Sam before she tilted her head, utterly perplexed that you would defend the 'criminals' who broke into her home in the middle of the night, before she interrogated you, "(Name), you know these boys?"

"Yep, these idiots would be my boyfriend and his little brother. They only came here to see their mom's belongings since their dad sold them to you and dumped them in the local orphanage."

"And who is their mother, if I may ask?" Evelyn questioned you before you answered, "Cassandra Morgan. They're my childhood friends, Miss Evelyn...I apologize if they broke into your house in the middle of the night-"

"No apology needed, Miss (Name)." Evelyn shook her head and her outstretched hand as she sat in the armchair before she turned to the boys to confirm your story, "You're Cassandra Morgan's boys." 

"Uh...hi." Sam sheepishly responded with a nod of his head and a scared smirk before Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief, "My god...I could've shot you." 

"Yeah, you still might. So uh...do you mind?" Sam asked as Evelyn gave an understanding nod, laying the pistol down on the table as she lit a cigarette while you breathed a sigh of relief that no one got hurt tonight and that you had your way with words when getting your idiots out of trouble. After realizing that the situation was calmed, Nathan looked to Evelyn for answers as his puppy dog eyes said it all, "You knew our mom?" 

"She worked for me. As I'm sure you noticed, I'm a collector of sorts." Evelyn explained before Sam quipped, "That's sort of an understatement." 

"So Mom was, like, your translator?" Nathan questioned naively before Evelyn gave a stare that showed her shock and confusion at the sons of Cassandra Morgan not knowing who their beloved mother actually was while you knew everything and were their childhood friend before she decided to take this moment to put all cards out on the table, "Your mother was one of the most brilliant historians I and Mrs. (Last Name) have ever met. We could have accomplished so much together. But then her illness, it...I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright. Happened a long time ago." Sam brushed it off with a melancholy expression as you rubbed your boyfriend's shoulder before gripping his hand in yours to show that you were there for him when he needed you most. After exchanging grateful expressions with one another, you and Sam turned back to Evelyn, who was still telling stories about her time working with your mom and Cassandra, "Of all her discoveries, this would have been her crowning achievement. Sic Parvis Magna."

"Greatness from small beginnings." Nathan translated as Sam remarked happily, thinking back to his childhood with his little brother and beloved late mother, "Yeah, Latin and historical figures...Those were our dinner conversations. We were uh...a weird family." 

"Never to me and my family. In fact, you guys were intellectually stimulating and kind-hearted...I still think you guys are kinda awesome." You responded as all eyes were on you, gazing at you lovingly as nothing but genuine compliments laced your speech, before Evelyn continued, "Did she ever tell you her theories regarding Sir Francis Drake and his heirs?" 

"Sir Francis Drake didn't have any heirs." Nathan retorted since he and Sam knew nothing of his mother's research before Evelyn shook her head, "That's what history tells us. But your mother, Mrs. (Last Name), and I believed otherwise. Learning that old pirate's secrets is just one more adventure I have to let go...I guess there's a lot I have to let go...Forgive me, ramblings of an old woman." Then, with a small shrug of her shoulders, Evelyn gazed into Nathan's dark blue eyes as he tried to hand his mother's white leather journal back to her before she patted his hand, pushing the journal back into his chest as she suggested, "Keep the journal, it is as much yours as it is mine. Who knows? Perhaps one day you'll be able to finish what she started." 

With soft smiles exchanged with each other and your long-time employer, you and the Morgan brothers were determined to finish your mother's, Cassandra's, and Evelyn's work and made a vow that night to do so. However, your tender moment was interrupted by the police sirens wailing outside while flashes of red and blue covered every window to blind the inside of the mansion before Sam raced to the window to investigate. At once, fear coursed through his and Nathan's bones before the older brother looked to Evelyn for answers, "Ah, yeah...So uh...We're off the hook, right?"

"I'll handle the police, Miss Evelyn. You all stay right here." You replied as you made your way to the door before Evelyn smiled motherly at you, grabbing your hand from the armchair to stop your walk as she responded, "Thank you, my dear (Name). No wonder I love having you as my employee."

"And you my employer, Ma'am." You smiled back as you patted her hand gently before you exited the room and went to the front door, where all the other three in the library heard you speaking with the police to diffuse the situation. While you were gone though, Nathan turned to Evelyn as he apologized for himself and his brother's actions, "We're sorry about the mess."

"No harm, no foul. I have a son so I know all about messes they can make as children." Evelyn brushed it off as she grabbed the hands of the two boys and massaged them slowly in her fingers before a fit of coughing overtook her yet again like it had since she entered the library. But after a fit of coughing, Evelyn grabbed her chest to steady herself from her coughing as she felt like she was unable to breathe. Nathan and Sam tried to calm her and ask her if she was okay, but she kept brushing it off even though another fit of coughing overtook her and she clutched her chest again. Nathan and Sam were scared something was wrong with her medically but they couldn't do much because they were not trained doctors and they had to get you to calm down the police first.

Meanwhile, you had just opened the wooden door to the officers as the lead officer and his partner came to the porch before the lead officer spoke first, "Ma'am, is everything alright?"

"Yes, Officer. My employer Miss Evelyn and I are just fine. We just thought we heard someone breaking in, but it was actually my boyfriend and his little brother letting themselves in. They wanted to visit me at work to surprise me but I can assure you that everything is fine." 

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Sir. Everything is alright. We're sorry we disturbed you when it was nothing. I apologize for calling." 

"No need to apologize, Ma'am. We're just glad you and Miss Evelyn are alright." The lead officer responded to you as he gave a gentle smile to show that he wasn't angry before Sam rounded the corner in a rush with a worried expression. At once, you and the officers turned to Sam before you asked, "Sam, honey, what's wrong?"

"It's Miss Evelyn. Something is wrong. She keeps coughing and clutching her chest, and Nate and I are trying all we can for her. But she may have something wrong with her." Sam urged as the officers pushed their way through to get to Miss Evelyn in her study while you and Sam followed behind them shortly afterwards before all of you came upon the heartbreaking sight of Nathan clutching the elderly lady's hand as she sat in the armchair, eerily limp and still. At once, the lead officer went to your employer as he put his ear to her mouth while placing two fingers by the pulse on her neck. After a few beats, you and the Morgan brothers looked to the officer for answers before he turned to you three. With a heavy heart and a solemn expression, the lead officer shook his head before he explained, "I'm so sorry, but Miss Evelyn is gone." 

Clutching your mouth with your palm, you thought your knees would buckle under the weight of the situation had Sam not pulled you against his chest and had Nathan not hugged you around the waist to calm you down. Noticing that the expressions you three gave seemed genuine, the lead officer waited a few moments before he explained, "I'll have to call the coroner and get them to rule out the cause of death. I'll also need to ask you three questions for a report since you were here when she died and I'll need to get the story straight for the house call."

"Of course, Officer. We'll do whatever you want." Sam responded with an understanding nod before the lead officer told his partner to call the coroner so he could tend to you and the boys alone, "Miss, are you okay to speak?"

"Yes, Sir." You nodded slowly as you looked to the officer before you were interrogated first. After about fifteen minutes of questioning in the living room with the lead officer, Sam was called up next to be interrogated. Fifteen more minutes passed and then Nathan was called back for interrogation. Since both boys had overheard parts of your conversation with the officers, they knew how to answer accordingly so they wouldn't get in trouble. However, the officer didn't think that the boys had done anything seriously harmful since there was no physical evidence to look for due to your explanations to the officers that the boys had let themselves in to surprise you at work for Miss Evelyn. Even if an artifact or two had fallen off the wall that night, the officer figured that an incident like that could've happened without any interference from the boys. So he decided to let you three off the hook since the coroner cleared the death of Miss Evelyn as natural causes due to heart attack. 

Before you and the Morgan brothers left the mansion, you decided to make a phone call to your family to let them know that everything was alright with you and the boys aside from the fact that your beloved employer passed away while you were on the job. After telling your mother all about it, she asked if you three were okay and if you all needed a ride. However, when you told her that you just wanted to stay with Sam and Nathan at the apartment you and your boyfriend shared, she nodded in understanding as she told you that doing what was comfortable was best in times like these and that you could always wait to come home since Nathan was even more shaken up about the incident according to your conversation (which was true because you knew Evelyn had health issues but didn't expect her to go so soon; Nathan and Sam didn't know anything at all). After thanking your mother for understanding, you told her you loved her and the rest of the family. You also wanted to phone Miss Evelyn's son Edmund to let him know that his mother had passed away so funeral arrangements could be made, and while you couldn't reach him right away, you did get in touch with his wife to break the terrible news to her. Even though you knew Edmund resented his mother for not going to his father's funeral and Evelyn tried to send alimony to let her son know she cared about him, you decided that Edmund deserved to know his mother's fate, as bad as it was, despite their rocky relationship. After speaking with Edmund's wife, you two ended the conversation with the wife promising to tell Edmund so he would know and so a funeral could be prepared in the event that Evelyn's closest friends and family wanted to attend. Knowing you'd like to pay your respects to her alongside your family, you agreed to come as Edmund's wife promised to keep you updated by your apartment telephone or even your parents' home telephone about the details of the funeral. Thanking her for speaking with you, Edmund's wife hung up with you as you turned to the boys and exited the house, locking up with your key, before you got on your motorcycle and followed Sam and Nathan to the docks. 

Once parked, you three got off your vehicles and walked to the railing at the docks before Sam looked out into the distance of the water while he asked everyone, "Some night, huh?" At the same time, you put a gentle arm around Nathan's little shoulders as he shrugged sadly, "Some night..." Then, Nathan sighed deeply as he looked down before he whispered, "That old lady..."

"Nathan..." You whispered as you knelt on the ground and hugged the boy to your chest, his little arms around your shoulders. At once, Sam came to his brother's aid as he tried to console the teenager, "That wasn't our fault back there. I mean, that lady...Miss Evelyn...She was ill."

"Nathan, she had heart problems and plenty of other ailments. She also was having personal problems with her son Edmund, which probably made her more stressed and sick. No one is to blame, darling." You explained as you tried to use reason to console Nathan before Sam continued, "It's okay to feel bad. But there was nothing we could do about it."

After giving Nathan another hug to keep him calm, the young teenager looked to you for guidance as he asked, "So what are we gonna do now? I can't go back to the orphanage. You two can't go back to your jobs."

"Then we don't." Sam replied with a small smirk as you gave a nod to his plan since you knew exactly what he meant before Nathan shrugged doubtfully, "Sure."

"No, I'm serious." Sam turned to his brother to inspire him as he gave a dramatic speech, "Nathan, back at that mansion, you knew just as much about that stuff as Miss Evelyn. Here...I always felt that we were destined for something great. Until tonight, I didn't know what that meant. But this...Mom's unfinished work...This is our chance to restart our lives, with brand new identities."

"What are you talking about?" Nathan pried for answers from his brother before Sam continued, "I know some guys. Pretty good at forging papers too. Now as for our new name...Mom believed that Sir Francis Drake had heirs. Who's to say he didn't?"

"You're serious, aren't you?" Nathan grinned with hope twinkling in his eyes before Sam nodded, "Nathan, we were meant for this, and I promise, you, me, and (Name) together, we're gonna go far. So what do you say, Nathan Drake?" After shaking hands together, Sam and Nathan smiled at you warmly before you made your announcement, "As far as the orphanage goes, Sam and I are legally able to be guardians to children since we have a stable home, stable jobs, and we're the correct age under the law." 

"So what are you saying?" Nathan asked with hope and curiosity in his youthful visage and baby blues before you chuckled, "Well, Sam and I have been planning this for a while but now, we don't have to wait...Nathan Drake, I know I can never replace your mother and nor would I ever want to...But how would you like to live with Sam and I in our apartment? It would be good practice for when Sam and I want to get married and have children of our own later in life. And I still have my genealogy job from Evelyn so I can be the primary breadwinner for now until Sam gets a new job...So what do you say?" With no words and just a lunge into your arms, Nathan hugged you tightly with his arms around your neck and his head buried into your chest. Stroking through his brown tufts of hair, you leaned down to kiss Nathan's forehead before Sam joined the embrace to kiss your temple, giving a short little remark, "I think he'd love that." 

As you two hugged on those Boston docks, the course of your life had changed forever. Sure, you lost your employer in the worst way possible while on the job and this in turn caused you to lose one of your two jobs. However, you gained a high school diploma with high academic honors and the little brother of your boyfriend to raise as if he were your own child in the process. Sam even knew some people who could forage papers to change the identities of the Morgan brothers and get him a new job to make up for the old job he lost due to this fateful night. Nevermore would Sam and Nathan be the Morgan brothers from here on out. Now, they would be the Drake brothers and you as (Name) (Last Name), their childhood best friend and Sam's long-term girlfriend still. As long as The Three Buccaneers stuck together through thick and thin just as your family and theirs imagined in the years of your shared youth, nothing could ever go wrong. You all were destined for greatness, all from small beginnings in Boston.


	7. Teen! Sam Drake X Fem! Reader - A Normal Home

Golden rays of the Sun poured into the bedroom like strobe lights through opened blinds as you laid on the soft mattress peacefully, yawning slightly with tiny giggles escaping your lips as small kisses littered your neck and shoulders from behind.  Realizing the time and the date from the calendar on the wall and the clock by your bedside table, you remembered that it had been two months since the funeral of Miss Evelyn in London and the adoption of Nathan Drake into your home to be raised as you and Sam's own in your shared Boston apartment. Turning over on your side to greet Sam, who was shirtless with slight bedhead but his trademark grin on his face upon seeing you, you smiled back at your beloved boyfriend before you two exchanged a tender kiss. Wrapping your arms around Sam's broad shoulders, the young man enveloped your waist into his embrace as you two continued to kiss. At once, you looked up at Sam with laughs exchanged between the two of you before you whispered, "Good morning, Sam."

"Good morning, (Name)..." Sam greeted as he leaned down to kiss your mouth again before his kisses lowered to the crook of your neck, causing you to gasp out as you suggested, "Not that it's too early for this, but don't you think it'll wake up Nathan or (Dog's Name)?" 

"Nah, they're both heavier sleepers than us. We'll be fine." Sam replied as he grinned again while you chuckled, "Okay, but just a quick one before breakfast." After Sam smirked at you like Han Solo to Princess Leia, he pulled you in for another sweet kiss as you both laid on your sides so you two faced each other, true love and passion overtaking the morning shared between the two of you. 

After a while of just laying in each other's arms, you and Sam finally decided to get up from the bed to get dressed since your boyfriend was speaking with his buddies about a new job before going to your parents' home to help your father repair a bookshelf that had broken recently. In the meanwhile, you planned to go to the library to research about an ancestor for a new genealogy client but you also wanted to take Nathan along since he was being homeschooled by you and Sam and you were teaching him how to write book reports and persuasive essays this month. But you did want to sit down as a family with Nathan and Sam and have a nice breakfast before any of you headed out for the day.

Making your way to the kitchen, you pulled out some vanilla extract, a carton of eggs, and the milk carton from the fridge before you turned on the stove and put a pan on the burner. Dropping some butter into the pan and moving the pan around so the butter could melt and coat the pan evenly, you then  
dipped slices of bread into the liquid mixture before laying it down in the sizzling pan. While you began to make some homemade French Toast, Sam helped you prepare some well-seasoned, over-easy eggs in a separate pan. You even got out some apples to chop up as well as cinnamon and brown sugar to caramelize the crunchy fruit, but what made the breakfast even more amazing was when you put some ham in the mixture you used for the apples to give it a pleasant glaze, like Christmas Day dinner even when it wasn't Christmas yet. Sam even cooked some bacon for good measure since bacon made everything better. 

After setting the table with all the food and utensils that would be needed for breakfast, you told Sam that you would wake up Nathan as he told you that he was going to let (Dog's Name) outside to do (his/her) business before you and Nathan took (him/her) out with you guys for the day. Making your rounds to Nathan's bedroom as you heard the jingling of (Dog's Name)'s collar and Sam beckoning your furry companion to come to him with a baby voice, you heard the dog's paws click on the floor as (he/she) followed Sam outside. This caused you to smile and feel all warm and fuzzy inside as Sam treated that dog like a baby right down to feeding them under the table when you weren't looking and cradling them like a baby in his arms whenever the dog swatted his shoulder to get him to touch (him/her). After smiling for a few moments at Sam's antics with (Dog's Name), your footfalls echoed in the hallway as you got closer to Nathan's bedroom before you slipped inside the door after opening it a crack. Seeing Nathan under the covers in a deep slumber, you watched as his baby face remained ever peaceful while his little lips twitched and he turned over onto his stomach, his hands still clutching his blanket as his brown locks tangled into slight bedhead. All in all, Nathan looked like such an angel in that bed as you smiled at him before you went over to his mattress, sat on the edge of the comforter, and rubbed his shoulder as you whispered, "Nate, buddy, time to get up. I made some breakfast for you and Sam."

With a small snort as he gazed upon you, Nathan ran his fingers through his hair as he sat up to greet you before you giggled at his dazed expression, "Good morning, little man."

"Morning...What time is it?"

"About 8. I'll be in the kitchen waiting for you with your favorite." You replied over your shoulder as you hopped off the mattress to let Nathan get to his closet so he could get dressed before you saw how excited he got over the concept of you cooking his favorite breakfast as he grinned back at you, "I'll be right over." With that, you left his bedroom as Nathan pulled on a red and white shirt with some jeans and shoes before he went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and fix his hair. Once Nathan looked presentable, his footsteps echoed in the hallway as he slowly made the turn around the corner to the kitchen before he saw Sam beginning to sit down at the table after pouring orange juice into everyone's glasses. As soon as Nathan entered the kitchen, he greeted you with a kiss to your cheek and a bump to Sam's drawn fist with his own fist before sitting down at the table. After dividing up the food as equally as you could onto three plates, you dowsed your French Toast in maple syrup before cutting it into good-sized bites so you could munch on it. At the same time, Nathan cut into his eggs as yellow yolk leaked onto the plate before Nathan began dipping his bacon into the yolk while Sam nibbled his bacon strips and even snuck pieces to (Dog's Name) under the table because the dog smacked (his/her) snout into his knee and whined for food. Rolling your eyes with a laugh because you knew Sam wasn't going to stop feeding your dog under the table, you decided that if you couldn't beat him, then join him. So, you managed to find a piece of French Toast untouched by sticky maple syrup as you fed (Dog's Name) under the table too and patted (his/her) silky head, being sure to scratch behind the ears since (he/she) loved that so much. 

After breakfast, Sam headed out for the day as he gave you a kiss on the lips while you popped the dishes into the dish washer, patted (Dog's Name) on (his/her) head as he knelt to the ground, and then gave his little brother a fist bump at the front door. Once you were done cleaning the kitchen, you grabbed your backpack full of journals and prior research before you called Nathan and (Dog's Name) to your side. Meeting you at the front door to the apartment, you three exited as you locked the door before heading to the family car. Sure, your motorcycle and Sam's was nice but neither mode of transportation would seat a dog, so a hand-me-down you earned from your parents was another good option. Buckling up and getting settled into the vehicle, you turned the key in the ignition as you put the car in reverse to back out of the space before putting the car in drive so you could head to the library. As you drove, you spoke with Nathan about his lessons and the book report he would do but you also spoke about the new client you were doing a family tree and genealogy profile for. Apparently, he was an orphan who only had the names of his parents as well as their wedding picture with some Latin phrase on the back of the photo alongside the names to go by. So when the client called upon your help, he had used all of his available resources to find them, dead or alive, so he would know why he was given up for adoption. All in all, Nathan thought it was so cool of you to do such a thing for a client who needed your help the most and he thought that some of the clues you found for clients in regards to their genealogy in order to connect them to historical figures or reunite them with lost relatives were really neat. Therefore, it was no wonder that he wanted to help you with this particular client as you two exited the vehicle and began to scour the library for books that could assist in this endeavor. However, because dogs were not allowed inside the interior of the library, you asked Nathan to wait in the lobby with (Dog's Name) until your return while you conducted your book searches. After about thirty minutes of perusing the endless aisles of lexicons and historical texts, you managed to find all you needed for your client before you checked the books out of the library and headed back to Nathan and (Dog's Name). 

With your books in hand, you three got in the car and stopped to get something portable to eat before heading towards the nearby park so you three could sit in the tranquility of nature. Once the car was parked and the food and books were taken with you three, Nathan managed to find shade under a tree before you handed him the novel he was going to do a book report on and sat down with your own collection of books. As you two munched away at your lunch and even snuck nibbles of food to (Dog's Name) when the other person wasn't looking, Nathan read his novel with great vigor, motivated beyond what words could describe because you chose a pirate book for Nathan to read. At the same time, you began to read your books to find any clues to help this man find his parents before you came across the Latin  phrase on the back of the parents' wedding photo, promoting you to ask Nathan for help since you were not yet fluent in Latin due to still learning from Sam. Therefore, you handed Nathan the photo as you asked your future brother-in-law, "Hey, Nate, what's this Latin phrase mean? It was on the back of the wedding photo for the orphaned client's parents." 

"Hmmm...Omnia Vincit Amor means 'Love conquers all.' There's also more Latin on the back in the same paragraph..." Nathan responded before he noticed more Latin phrases in the same paragraph, "Hold on. There's a phrase here that says 'ab incunabulis,' which means 'from the cradle.' There's also this phrase...Acta deos numquam mortalia fallunt, which means 'mortal actions never deceive the gods.' So maybe the parents regretted giving your client up for adoption but why, I have no clue." 

"So, the following phrases in that paragraph are 'love conquers all'; 'from the cradle'; and 'mortal actions never deceive the gods.' Is there anything else?" 

"No, that's all the Latin I see in the paragraph...But there is one more thing, a name of a place...And from what it looks like, it seems to be an orphanage." Nathan responded as he handed the wedding photograph back to you before you consulted a phone book in order to locate the phone number of the orphanage listed. Writing down the number on a separate piece of paper, you managed to find a functioning payphone near where you and Nathan were sitting in the park as you called the number to see if maybe they knew anything, "Hello, I need to speak to your boss please."

"Certainly. May I ask who's calling?" The female receptionist asked as you answered back politely, "I'm (Name) (Last Name) and I am a genealogist doing a family history for a client of mine who is looking for his family since he's a former child from your orphanage. So I was wondering if maybe your boss could help me if I give them the name of the client."

"One moment please." The receptionist replied as she left the phone laying on her desk while you stayed on the line, patiently waiting for the boss of the orphanage to come on the hook, before you heard a male voice, "Yes? How may I help you?"

"Hello, Sir, I'm (Name) (Last Name) and I'm a genealogist. My client was a former child in your orphanage and I'm trying to help him find his family so I was wondering if you could help me." 

"What's the client's name?"

"Dalton Nolan." 

"Dalton...Nolan..." The orphanage owner mumbled to himself as the rustling of papers and file folders could be heard by you until the male voice appeared on the line, "Ms. (Last Name)?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"I think I found the records. We have only had one Dalton Nolan but his real surname is not Nolan. Nolan was the surname of the lovely couple who adopted him when he was thirteen. Apparently, his file says that his parents were teenagers when they had him and their parents made the decision for both of them to give Dalton up for adoption. Although both parents were married, they were still minors under the law. But they decided to do open adoption without their parents' knowledge so that they could still be updated on the condition of their only son."

"This is very helpful. Could you maybe make a copy of the file and fax it to me? I would really like to show Dalton."

"Of course."

"And one more question, are his parents still alive?"

"The file doesn't say but since it was open adoption, then maybe Dalton should ask his adoptive parents about his real parents. They would know since they keep in contact with the parents." 

"Thank you so much, Sir. This really saved me time and reading." You thanked the male orphanage employee kindly as he responded back, "Anytime, it's my pleasure, Ma'am. You let Dalton know we think of him and that we miss him since he was such a good kid here." 

"I will. Have a good day, Sir." You replied while the male employee grinned on his end of the phone, "You too. Take care." With a click to signify that the call had ended, you hung up the payphone as you walked back to Nathan and (Dog's Name) before the brunette boy asked, "Well, did you find anything?"

"I found everything I need to help my client. I think I've now pieced together the mystery of this family history." You replied as you hugged your boyfriend's little brother before Nathan went back to reading the book he was going to write his book report on while you updated the leather journal you were using for your recent client, Mr. Dalton Nolan. 

After a long day at the park, you and Nathan packed up your picnic supplies, library books, and headed back to your car to return home to your comfortable apartment. After putting the key in the door to enter the apartment and locking the door behind you, you began to make your way to the kitchen to make dinner while Nathan began writing his book report since he was a fast learner who could comprehend what he read very quickly. In the meanwhile, a key entered the door to unlock the front door with a click as Sam entered the apartment. At the same time, (Dog's Name) barked while your boyfriend picked up Nathan by the waist so the boy was hanging upside down on his older brother's shoulder, kicking and laughing as he tried to punch his older brother. This prompted you to laugh at Sam and Nathan's antics as you stood at the kitchen counter before your boyfriend came running to you. Picking you up from the front by your waist so he could spin you around, you wrapped your arms around his neck and your legs around his hips so you could hug and kiss your man. After greeting Sam warmly, you returned back to the task of making dinner as your boyfriend offered to help you out. 

After about an hour of preparing dinner, you called Nathan into the kitchen to sit down at the table and eat before Sam and (Dog's Name) joined you at the table too. As you passed dishes around and filled your plates and your bellies, you three discussed your respective days and how they went with each other as laughter and smiles filled the dinner conversation. With Nathan speaking of pirates, you speaking of your genealogy client, and Sam speaking about how fun it was to help your father and brothers with the bookcase, the dinner definitely was lively. After eating dinner and washing the dishes together, the three of you and (Dog's Name) retired to the living room to watch some television shows until Nathan got tired and headed off to bed with you leading him back to his bedroom. Once he was dressed for bed, you tucked Nathan into his bed as you exchanged a kiss and hug with him before shutting the door and heading to your own bedroom to be with Sam. After the two of you finished your own routines for bed, Sam laid down beside you as you two exchanged a kiss before drifting off to sleep in each other's arms.


	8. Teen! Sam Drake X Fem! Reader - The Perks of Being a Drake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> The following links are for items in the oneshot that require a visual.
> 
> Reader's Scottish Medieval Wedding Band: http://www.bellchamber.net/catalogue/nouveauEternitytriskeleSetAG.jpg
> 
> Reader's Wedding Dress & Reader's Mother's Veil: (Dress) https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fa/97/7b/fa977b5b08f8c906a1eb9923fe0355a4.jpg
> 
>  
> 
> (Veil) https://i.pinimg.com/736x/56/b7/69/56b7698871bd4d5c72e9d6a287c1ec8d.jpg
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> Baby Nursery =
> 
> (Nursery Decoration): https://projectnursery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IMG_1905-1024x768.jpg
> 
> (Teddy Bear): https://n2.sdlcdn.com/imgs/a/u/z/Gift-Island-Pirate-Teddy-for-SDL424511137-1-14b07.jpg

A couple years had passed by since Nathan moved in with you and Sam, making all of you treasure hunters once you were all together in your little Boston apartment. You and Sam had been dating for several years now and Nathan was like a son to you. Your brothers were finally either going into college or finishing college while your parents were completely supportive of you being a high school graduate who became a full-time genealogist and later treasure hunter/archaeologist alongside the Drake brothers. 

Over the years, Sam definitely knew that he wanted to marry you but wanted to wait until the perfect time to make sure you were really the one. One moment in particular solidified how he felt about you, especially when it related to the relationship you and Nathan shared. It was late one evening when Sam had come back from work; he had managed to get off work earlier than usual and came back unannounced when he heard Nathan gasp and scream in his bedroom. All of a sudden, Sam's brotherly instinct kicked in as he started to take off down the hall to reach his brother before he saw you race to Nathan's bedroom to calm the boy. After taking one look at him from afar, it only gave Sam hope that you would make a great wife and mother in your shared future as he allowed you to take care of Nathan while he watched from the crack in the door. 

Sitting down on Nathan's mattress, cradling the teenager against your bosom, a tender scene played out while Sam watched. Rubbing his back soothingly as Nathan cried in your arms, you shushed the young man as he clutched tightly to your T-shirt (which belonged to Sam due to the evidence of its enormous size on your body and which was worn over black shorts) before you managed to calm him down so you could ask him about what woke him up. After wiping his little blue eyes, Nathan looked at you and solemnly apologized for being weak enough to cry before you told him that being scared or crying didn't equate to weakness since EVERY human was afraid of something and EVERY human cried over something that was personal or hurtful. Sensing sincerity in your words, Nathan opened up to you like a patient would to their trusted psychiatrist as he explained that he had a nightmare and in it, he saw his mother dead on a tile floor before the nightmare showed his father leaving him and Sam at the orphanage, followed by you and Sam disappearing before his very eyes, leaving Nathan all alone in this world in the terrible dream. After seeing the fear plaguing Nathan's baby blues, causing his muscular body to tremble like a leaf in a hurricane, you hugged the teenager to you as you remarked that as long as God kept you alive in this world for as long as He could, you weren't going anywhere and neither was Sam. You also told Nathan that you believed his mother was in a better place away from sickness and turmoil even if it meant that she had to be taken away from her babies forever. What made the moment more heart-warming was the fact that you remarked that Nathan was like a son to you and that you'd never let him get hurt or separated from you and his brother because you both loved the teenager so much. After offering to get him some hot cocoa (his favorite warm beverage next to coffee) and letting him sleep in you and Sam's bed for the night in the event he had another panic attack or nightmare, Nathan seemed to calm down as he accepted the warm mug and took small sips while you stroked your fingers through his brown tresses. At the same time, Sam watched through the crack in the door after hiding every once in a while to avoid getting caught by you or Nathan since he wanted to see for himself how you would handle his little brother without any interference. Once Nathan was calm enough, he finished his hot chocolate and placed the empty mug on the bedside table before he curled up with his head on your stomach, slumbering peacefully with small snores escaping his lips as your fingers absentmindedly brushed his hair before you draped a spare quilt over him. Watching all of this play out caused Sam to cry as he bit his lip to keep his voice down to avoid waking up Nathan. All in all, Sam was comforted by your words in regards to his mother, who suffered from physical sickness that slowly killed her until she eventually took her own life. But he was also comforted by the fact that you genuinely cared about his brother and had the makings of being a great life partner to Sam. So after greeting you properly with a kiss and cuddles in bed (even with Nathan on the mattress beside you two), Sam had sweet dreams about marrying you and having a kid with you as he even smiled in his slumber. 

Right after that night, Sam decided to spend the day with his little brother and your older  brother alone since you were going to visit your little brother, who was still in college and was free from classes, meaning he wanted to spend the day with his big sister and his new girlfriend. Since you had seen the playful way Sam interacted with your two brothers over the many years you had been together, being a mentor to your little brother and being like an extra member of the (Surname) family to your older brother, it only cemented the way you thought of Sam lovingly in the long run. It also made you happy to see your boyfriend and older brother visiting with each other again since they hadn't seen each other due to your older brother working at his new job as a biologist in Boston after studying abroad in London for four years with only little visits during the holidays and the summer. Therefore, after bidding Sam and Nathan with plenty of goodbye kisses and hugs, you took off on your motorcycle after leaving some extra breakfast for your boys so they could eat before getting on their own motorcycle to see your brother. What you didn't realize was that you seeing your little brother was all a ploy devised by your boyfriend to create misdirection as to what Sam was really planning. 

The real reason why Sam wanted you to see your little brother and his new college girlfriend was 1.) you missed (Younger Brother's Name), 2.) he knew that you wanted to meet the girl who chose to date your baby brother, and 3.) he wanted to surprise you later but needed your older brother's approval and help. Therefore, Nathan and Sam drove to the local pawn shop as they immediately sauntered over to the jewelry section before the younger Drake asked his older brother, "Sam, what're we doing here at a pawn shop at nine in the morning?"

"Okay, Nate, I'm gonna tell you a secret before (Name)'s big bro gets here but you gotta swear not to tell (Name). The surprise is for her." Sam explained as Nathan looked at him with shiny baby blues before he nodded, "Cross my heart and hope to die if I say anything to her. So what's the secret?"

"As you know, (Name) and I have been dating for six years now and I think it's time to make it official." 

"So what? You got her an engagement ring from a pawn shop?" Nathan asked with a small grin as Sam nodded back without a word before the younger man questioned again, "You're serious, aren't you?" 

"Yep. That's why we came to this pawn shop so early. I wanted to pick up the ring I already paid for so I could have it. I think that  when I ask her brother's permission and show it to him, maybe he'll let us get married and give us his blessing." 

"There's no way he'd say no. Even if you and her were to drive to Las Vegas and get hitched by an Elvis impersonator as an ordained minister, I don't think her family would care. They love you, Sam, and they think you're a good man for their daughter. Besides, I think it's high time she became a Drake since she's already been part of the family since she was little." Nathan reassured his brother before the cashier handed Sam a black ring box and wished him a good day before the older Drake opened the box so Nathan could see the ring. It was so beautiful and full of ancient history that Nathan nearly cried as he stared upon the metal and gem handicraft, which looked like a plain wedding band from medieval Scotland because of the Celtic knot symbols outlining all of the gold. Although there was no diamond on the ring and it was not a typical engagement ring that a man would give their girlfriend, this was Sam here and Samuel Drake had always wanted to get an ancient ring as an engagement ring for you since the moment you two started to live together after you graduated high school. Therefore, all Nathan has to say was, "Sam, it's amazing. She's gonna love it." 

"I hope so." Sam nodded as his thoughts were preoccupied with what your older brother would think of the ring followed by what you would think before Sam secured the ring box in a front zipper pocket on his jacket as he asked his brother, "You ready to go, Nate?" 

With a small nod, the younger Drake followed Sam to the area where they'd meet your older brother. After waiting about fifteen since they had arrived early, your older brother came walking up with a large smile as everyone fist-bumped and hugged while they exchanged pleasantries before they sat down to speak again over some chips and homemade salsa as well as a big plate of nachos (that was meant to be shared among five or more people) from a local Mexican restaurant that had just opened up recently. After eating amongst themselves and paying for the meal, Sam spoke matter-of-factly with your brother as he asked, "(Older Brother's Name), may I ask you something?" 

"Ask away, Sam." (Older Brother's Name) nodded before your boyfriend of six years explained, "You know I love your sister and would do anything for her and her family since you guys are like family to me and Nathan. But I don't think a dating relationship is enough for me."

"You're not planning on breaking up with her, are you?"

"No, absolutely not. I'm talking about taking the relationship further...With your permission, I'd like to ask (Name) to marry me." Sam announced as Nathan looked at your brother with a smile and shiny baby blues before your brother started to laugh as he questioned your boyfriend, "Are you not kidding me? Is this a joke?"

"No, this isn't a joke. I really want to marry her. I even got the ring right here." Sam shook his head as he pulled out the ring box and handed it to (Older Brother's Name), who took a detailed look at it with laser-focused eyes before he handed the box back to your boyfriend as Sam secured the box back into his front zipper pouch of his jacket. After thinking in his head, your older brother shook Sam's hand before he nodded, "I absolutely give you my permission and blessing to marry my little sis. I would entrust that task to no other man but you." 

"I'm glad you think that. I honestly didn't know how you would react so I was a little nervous coming in." Sam chuckled as Nathan shook his head since the younger man thought that statement killed the mood before your brother chuckled and shook his head, "Sam, you're the only man I know outside of my brother and father who loves my sister unconditionally and who treats her right. Why wouldn't I let the best possible man for my sister marry her if he chooses to?" 

"Fair point." Sam nodded as he and Nathan got up from the table before your boyfriend shook hands with your brother, "Well, (Older Brother's Name), it was nice talking to you again." 

"I enjoyed it too. We should do this again sometime and who knows, maybe we'll do this more once you marry my sister." Your brother responded with a wink as Nathan grinned, "Be safe."

"You too. Take care of yourselves." Your brother replied as he hugged your boyfriend and future brother-in-law before he walked out to his car and drove off so he could visit his parents and tell them about what Sam was planning that night with you. In the meanwhile, Sam and Nathan headed back home so that the older Drake brother could prepare some dinner for you since he knew you had a long two-hour drive there and back from your younger brother's college and he wanted this moment to be special. 

Right on schedule, Sam heard the familiar click of the front door and the jingling of keys as he saw your physique enter the doorway before you locked the door behind you. Then, kicking off your shoes at the front door, you took off your jacket and hung it up in the hall closet before you greeted Sam and Nathan, "Hey, guys. How did (Older Brother's Name) treat you?" 

"He was very nice and fun to hang out with, as always. He missed us a lot." Nathan replied as Sam smiled to agree with his brother before you grinned back, "Well, that's good. Anyways, I'm gonna go take a shower before I eat all this yummy food you're preparing for me after a long day. It smells amazing."

"Okay, I'll keep the food and myself hot for you." Sam joked with wiggling eyebrows as you shook your head with a fit of boisterous laughter before you headed down the hall to you and Sam's shared bedroom. After picking out a long-sleeved, button-down shirt of his that reached below your knees as well as a pair of your own black shorts and underwear to wear, you stripped off your dirty clothes from the day and threw them in the hamper basket. Then, entering the bathroom and shutting the door behind you, you set the clean clothes down on the counter and entered the shower so you could freshen up in solitude under cascading water with suds sliding down your hair and skin. 

After about fifteen minutes of showering and washing your hair, you combed out your hair and got dressed before you blow-dried your tresses so they wouldn't be dripping or damp. As soon as you were finished in the bathroom, you opened the door again and made your way back into the kitchen as you came up behind your boyfriend and hugged his waist. Turning around to greet you warmly, Sam wrapped his arms around your shoulders and kissed your forehead lightly as you giggled at the sweet contact. From afar as he set the table for dinner, Nathan smiled at how cute you both looked before he saw Sam plating food in the kitchen with your help. Then, sitting down together, the three of you began to speak of your respective days with passion and laughter filling the apartment as you took bites of the lasagna that Sam had baked in the oven for hours. You told Nathan and Sam all about the encounter with your little brother (Younger Brother's Name) and his new college girlfriend, how you liked the female Art major because of her sweet relationship with your brother and the amount of knowledge she had accumulated about all types of art from all cultures and time periods that ranged from sculptures to paintings. You also remarked about how the young girl had hand-painted a landscape of a pirate ship on the water for you since your brother had told his girlfriend that you, Nathan, and Sam liked pirates and that you had the oil painting laying on the coffee table in the living room. Smiling widely at the story, Nathan and Sam exchanged a look with each other as the younger man's finger gestured to his chest, which signaled to the older man that he should reveal his surprise to you as he walked to the hall closet and grabbed the ring box from the front zipper pocket before he came back to the table with it as you noticed the storage item in his hand, "What's that?"

"Oh, just a little something for you." Sam sheepishly grinned as he handed it to you before you opened the black box and gasped upon seeing a beautiful ring inside it. Looking at Sam with widened (Eye Color) irises, he smiled at you lovingly as you gasped again at the gift before you grinned, "Samuel Drake, you shouldn't have."  

"But I had to because you deserve it and you've put up with me and Nathan your whole life." Sam joked before he explained, "However, it's no ordinary ring from medieval Scotland." 

"Then, what is it?" You interrogated your boyfriend before he held your hand at the table and grinned, "You know that I love you and always want to be with you. So I wanted to show you how much I believe that since we've been living together for a while and already act like a family...(Name) (Middle Name) (Last Name), will you honor me by being my wife and the future mother of my children?" 

"Sam..." You gasped as you held your mouth with your hand as tears of joy spilled down your cheeks before you grinned, "Yes, I will marry you. I would love nothing more than to be married to you and have children together." Exchanging a pleasant hug with Sam, you let him slip the ring onto your finger as you grinned at the thought that you would forever be bonded with your boyfriend of six years through marriage and children. At the same time, Nathan smiled for you two as he congratulated you both before you asked, "Don't tell me. You were in on this all along." 

"Maybe, maybe not." Nathan joked with a grin as you and Sam laughed at the younger man before you grinned, "Now that we're engaged, what do you say we clean up the kitchen and table, hang up that painting, and finish off the night together as a family?" 

"Sounds like a perfect plan." Sam responded as you and him exchanged a pleasant kiss before all of you were doing as you suggested for the night. Finishing off the night with a movie, you all fell asleep in the living room with you in Sam's arms under a blanket and Nathan on the opposite couch wrapped in a blanket. 

Over the next few weeks, you and Sam planned the wedding as you decided to invite all of your family members, godfather Sully, and even your former employer Evelyn's son and his family in a private ceremony in Boston. While Sam had your brothers and his younger sibling as his groomsmen, you decided to have your brother's new girlfriend as a maid of honor even though one of your brothers joked that they'd wear a dress for you and be a bridesmaid since you only had one. Nevertheless, the private, intimate ceremony was very cute (even if Sam didn't really trust your godfather much due to your godfather's reputation as a swindling treasure hunter) since you and Sam had all your loved ones there and nothing but pure love was in the air. You even remembered that Sam had cried upon seeing you walk down the aisle because he thought you looked so beautiful in your white dress and your mother's veil (even if the frock was just a flower-patterned sundress that you had lying around in your closet). You could've been wearing a white bed sheet as a veil and a white trash bag as a dress and Sam would've still thought you were beautiful and worthy of his tears of joy. Sam even looked handsome himself in the tuxedo he had been given by your little brother so he could finally have a proper suit, with his hazel eyes all shiny from tears and youthfulness and his signature smile all white and genuine. There were even some tears shared among the guests to the wedding because of how lovely you and Sam looked as a couple but also how amazing you both looked. The party filled with good food and beverages as well as good company and music was even better than the wedding ceremony. Seeing people dance or attempt to dance was so hilarious as your brother video-taped the entire ceremony and party on a big handheld camera that sat on his shoulder while an empty VHS tape labeled "Mr. Samuel and Mrs. (Name) Drake's White Wedding - September 29, 1992" rested inside. You even witnessed your little brother kiss his new girlfriend during a slow dance as you and your older brother laughed behind the camera. You even teared up alongside Sam and the other guests when Nathan read the best man speech he wrote for his brother since he was the youngest and greatest best man you all had ever seen at a wedding; even Sully was getting a little teary-eyed towards the end of the speech if one could believe that his claim of "sweating out of his eyes" wasn't true. When all was said and done at the wedding, as you and Sam entered your vehicle so both of you could leave for the airport, you two went on your way to a honeymoon in South America so you could hike together on the Inca Trail. In the meanwhile, Nathan stayed with your family in their home until your return from a two-week excursion. 

After two weeks had passed, you returned home to be with Nathan as you and Sam showed him all the pictures and told him all the stories. You remarked about how beautiful the natural landscape was and the history behind the trail and the ancient landmarks. Sam also had to tell Nathan the story of the peppy tour guide who knew everything there was to know about the South American history partly because he himself had Incan ancestors as well as stories about the various other tourists that traveled with them on the trail. Just hearing about all this adventure on something as simple as a honeymoon inspired you, Sam, and Nathan to want to be archaeologists and treasure hunters like Sully so you could finish Mrs. Evelyn and Cassandra Morgan's work on Sir Francis Drake and other great buccaneers from the Golden Age of Piracy. Overall, the honeymoon was a good thing for both you and Sam since you got plenty of "alone time" after the hike to just sleep in and order room service at your hotel room. There was even one night when you and Sam went down to a secluded lake to skinny dip since you both had never done such an activity before. 

A couple weeks after the honeymoon, you started feeling like you weren't yourself. It started out with fits of nausea in the morning for a week before stopping, only for the cycle to repeat the next week. You also felt sore in your lower back, feet, and bosom as you even went up a cup size. Sam and Nathan even noticed you had weird cravings of food combinations that were just simply out of the box even though you were eating about the same amount of food that you ate before the honeymoon. After seeing you have nausea-induced fits one morning, Sam and Nathan decided to take you to the doctor even though the three of you planned a treasure hunting excursion to Africa later on in the week and even when you insisted that you were fine. After giving every possible test that could be given to you, the three of you waited in the hospital room for what seemed like hours before the female doctor came back into the room, "Hello again, Mr. and Mrs. Drake. I'm Dr. Cooper and I've just got the test results back."

"Is my wife okay?" Sam asked as he and Nathan both looked scared for you with widened eyes while you clutched your husband's hand for security before the female doctor smiled, "Of course, Mr. Drake. Your wife is absolutely fine and what she's experiencing is completely normal."

"How so?" Nathan interrogated the doctor with skeptical baby blues laser-focused on her before she explained, "Well, the urine tests indicate that Mrs. Drake is pregnant and from the questions I asked her in regards to her cycle, it would seem the timeline between when she came back from her honeymoon and now makes her two months pregnant." Jaws dropped from every Drake in the room, yourself included, because even though you and Sam were definitely married and actively trying to have children, you never expected to have children so soon at twenty-two years old. In the meanwhile, a twenty-four year old Sam just stared wide-eyed at the doctor in shock that you were pregnant before his surprise turned to joy at the fact that you weren't dying but were instead carrying his child. Nathan was also excited of the idea of being an uncle at nineteen years old as well as a big brother figure to the boy or girl that was currently residing in your womb. This is why Sam started asking questions about any vitamins or medicine you would need, what the gender of the child was, and your due date. You just smiled at Sam's interest in your safety and pregnancy as you kissed his cheek before he kissed your forehead while continuing to squeeze your hand. Answering questions left and right, the doctor informed your husband that you wouldn't be able to see the gender of the baby until the seventh month, wrote prescriptions for the vitamins, and announced that your possible due date would be sometime in June. After receiving wonderful news from the doctor, you three thanked her for her help before you returned home safely. The moment you got inside the apartment, you and your boys still couldn't believe that you were pregnant even though it was truly happening as Nathan and Sam couldn't say any words. Therefore, they just resorted to hugging you as they both congratulated you and started speaking their thoughts aloud, all the while listing off names and items that would be needed for later when the baby was born. At the same time, you were helping the Drake brother's with their auditory list before you and Sam managed to come to a compromise that included the following two full names: Morgan Anne Drake for a girl and Morgan Caspian Drake for a boy. After deciding on buying materials for a nursery in the spare second bedroom of the apartment as well as how to break the news to your family, Sam decided to carry you to your shared bedroom bridal-style as you giggled and kissed his lips before Nathan politely excused himself so he could go to bed. Once you and Sam were laying down in bed, the brunette man you married only months earlier rubbed your belly and whispered sweet nothings to you and the baby growing inside you as you became all teary-eyed both from the sweet words and all the hormones racing through your body. After listening to Sam speak sweetly to you before he kissed your belly, it was enough to lull you to sleep as your eyes closed and your breathes evened out, your long red hair falling in your face as drool leaked from the corner of your mouth. Once Sam noticed you were asleep, he smiled at your form as he kissed your brow and your belly again before he stroked your hair out of your face. Then, as he yawned and pulled the covers over the both of you, Sam laid his head down on your growing stomach so he could be closer to you and his baby. 

After another two months of pregnancy, you, Nathan, and Sam decided to surprise your family with the news of you and Sam having a baby while celebrating Christmas with everyone at your childhood home. As gingerbread cookies were nibbled on, the tree was decorated, and carols echoed all over the house, Sam handed several little gifts to your parents and brothers (even the college girlfriend that your youngest brother invited to spend Christmas Eve with for a couple hours since she only lived a couple blocks away) before your mother gasped, "Oh, Sam, you shouldn't have!" 

"What is it, son?" Your father asked before your husband grinned, "I just had to because it just spoke to me. And I can't tell or it's not a surprise, silly." After exchanging a look and a wink between you two, you asked your family to open their gifts before the wrapping paper started flying until your brothers managed to open their presents first. As soon as your brothers saw coffee mugs, they began to read the message printed on the ceramic dish ware before your brother's girlfriend started squealing and jumping up and down with her hand over her mouth after reading her mug. While your parents were still struggling with opening their gifts, your brother's girlfriend hopped off the couch to hug you tightly as she questioned, "Are you flipping kidding? Is this a joke or is this real?"

"No, it's real." Nathan nodded as he grinned before your brothers both gave a shout of "Ohhh" in unison as they smiled and started to chuckle boisterously. Once your parents finally managed to get their gifts open, your mother and father read their mugs' messages before your mother started to cry as she got up from the couch to hug you and Sam. At the same time, your father hugged your brothers as the male trio started to laugh and smile before they hugged you and Sam, congratulating you both on the pregnancy and asking questions so they were all caught up on the current situation. Your mother even decided to call Sully right then and there to wish him a Merry Christmas. She also wanted to let him know that you were pregnant, which prompted him to curse profusely over the phone as he chuckled at the thought of you, his tomboyish, history-loving goddaughter, not only being married but also being pregnant with a baby. However, he still wished you the best and told your mother to say hi to his newest and youngest partner in crime, Nathan, for him. Every Christmas was the best in your life because you always had Sam and Nathan as well as your family in it. But this Christmas was the most memorable of all because you and Sam were pregnant with a baby. Thinking about your child's first Christmas only made you and Sam more happy and excited to see the baby made of your love and genetics come into the world that you both almost couldn't wait. 

Once the seven month mark hit, you and Sam went back to the hospital to reveal the gender of the baby as Dr. Cooper came in again to examine you, just as she had for the past several months since you first found out that you were pregnant. Once you were seated on the hospital chair and recliner back, the female doctor greeted you and Sam warmly as Nathan sat nearby and smiled kindly at Dr. Cooper. After shaking hands with the OB/GYN as well as her female nursing assistant, Dr. Cooper got to work with spreading the jelly on your stomach as she set up the ultrasound machine before you giggled at how cold the jelly felt on your stomach. Holding Sam's hand, Dr. Cooper moved the wand around your stomach multiple times before she saw your baby moving around inside as you felt them kicking against your flesh. As Dr. Cooper moved the wand around, she announced what parts of the body were appearing on the screen before she found the heart. Just hearing the heartbeat made you cry as you stroked the screen with your fingers while squeezing Sam's hand, who squeezed with the same intensity as you even saw him wiping away tears. But the next words Dr. Cooper said made you and Sam more happy: "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Drake. You have a beautiful and perfectly healthy girl." In that moment, the doctor and the nurse confirmed that you and Sam were going to have a Morgan Anne Drake, another girl to balance out your current family of one woman and two men. As soon as the appointment was over, the three of you returned home safely as you and Sam immediately went to the nursery so you could look at everything inside. Nautical themes in pink, blue, and white layered the room as pictures of ships, anchors, and sea creatures made themselves evident in the decorations used. The cutest thing was the mobile hanging over the crib, a small thing you, Sam, and Nathan made together with crafting supplies. The image of a sea horse, pirate ship, anchor, fish, treasure chest, cutlass, and mermaid all dangled at varying lengths over the crib as they bounced up and down on their respective strings as you stroked the charms on the mobile before you took a look inside the crib. Inside was a teddy bear dressed like a pirate as well as a blue and pink quilt. Inside the bedroom was a white rocking chair as well as a bookshelf filled with children's books alongside basic baby toys such as alphabet blocks and a box full of pegs of different shapes that corresponded with differently-shaped plastic pieces. There were also paintings of nautical images that Nathan had made on the walls since he was a good artist so long as he didn't have to draw people. This only made you smile because if Nathan hadn't chosen to be a treasure hunter, you were sure he would've been a professional artist. As you and Sam surveyed the nursery, you felt a fluttering in your stomach as you clutched the rocking chair so you could sit down before you laughed with tears in your eyes, causing Sam and Nathan to wonder what was happening before you whispered, "Morgan's moving." 

"What?" Sam asked before he felt you grabbing his hand to plant it on your stomach as he felt a sharp smack against his inner palm. Gasping lightly with widened hazel eyes, Sam tapped your stomach with his index finger and then planted his palm back on your stomach before he felt another kick, which caused him to tear up without any shame as you two shared a spousal kiss. As soon as Sam felt the baby kicking a few more times, he kissed your belly and began to speak to your child with a chuckle, "Hey, Morgan, it's your dad...I'm so happy to see you're strong and healthy like your mother. You're probably just as beautiful as she is too...Princess, I can't wait to see you soon and hold you. I love you." 

"Your father's right, my little mermaid. I'm excited to hold you and see you too. Mommy loves you too." You replied back as you rubbed your stomach with teary eyes. At the same time, Nathan asked if he could feel your stomach before you tapped your perfect globe of flesh and planted his hand there, waiting for a response from baby Morgan as Nathan chuckled, "Umm...Hi, baby...Hey, Morgan, I'm really trying to wait even though I can't wait to see you soon...Little pirate, it's me, your uncle Nate." 

As soon as the words 'Uncle Nate' were uttered, Morgan gave a kick as Nathan gasped under his breath with an "Oh" before the brunette man cried upon knowing that he was going to be an uncle in two months, even though he claimed he was just sweating through his eyes when Sam teased his younger brother. Just spending time at the hospital and in that nursery made all of this too real as you and Sam couldn't wait to be parents and Nathan couldn't wait to be an uncle. Were you all nervous? Yes. But were you excited? Most definitely! As the months ticked by, the excitement and nervousness built upon itself until finally, it would burst when your little baby girl was born. 

When you were three weeks close to your due date, you were lounging on the couch with your husband and brother-in-law after Nathan had gotten back from a treasure hunting excursion with Sully, with the youngest Drake brother telling his stories about being shot at over a golden bejeweled crown from the Persian kingdom. After making you and Sam laugh with his stories, you also revealed to Nathan information you two were able to uncover in regards to Captain Avery's treasure on Libertalia before you felt squeezing pains in your stomach. Thinking you had to pee really badly, you excused yourself and headed off to the bathroom before you felt water drip down your legs the moment you got ready to sit on the toilet. Looking down at the water-soaked floor, you grabbed a towel from the rack as you tried to clean the mess up with your feet gliding the towel around the tile before you felt pain in your stomach. If menstrual cramps were bad, then birthing contractions felt ten times worse. In fact, the pains you were experienced now felt like someone grabbed every internal organ in your stomach and uterus before twisting it all the way around as hard as they could grab it followed by the feeling of someone seemingly stabbing your abdomen. It only took you a second to realize that you were in labor after remembering what your mother had told you about her three pregnancies with you and your brothers. 

The pain was so bad and lasted so long that Sam started to worry when you didn't reappear to the living room after fifteen minutes while you panted heavily and held the counter before he knocked, "(Name), are you alright? Can I come in?" 

"Sam, I think it's time." You shouted back as your husband opened the door to see your current physical state before he translated 'it's time' to mean that you were currently in labor. Thinking quickly on his feet, Sam remembered that he brought extra clothes for you and the baby as that he also properly installed the car seat before he got to work getting you out of the house without causing you a nasty fall or any more pain. Picking you up bridal-style, Sam got you inside the car while Nathan kept the motor vehicle running as he made sure you and Sam were inside safely before he sped off towards the hospital, trying to hurry for the sake of you and baby Morgan. 

The moment you reached the hospital and found a parking space, Sam carried you bridal-style again as he and Nathan rushed you inside the building before your brother-in-law announced, "Can someone please get a doctor? My sister-in-law's having a baby!" 

"Right this way!" A nurse called out as she got a wheelchair for you to sit in while Nathan and Sam sprinted behind you and the nurse before you were changed into a hospital gown and taken to the maternity wing of the hospital. After being sat down on a reclined hospital chair, you were placed in proper position for birthing a child as Dr. Cooper came inside the room and got to work preparing for the birth with her nurse. At the same time, Nathan and Sam held both of your hands as you squeezed with all your might before Dr. Cooper asked if you wanted an epidural after determining that you had dilated enough to have one before giving birth. When you screamed out that you did since the pain was too much for you, she fetched her male nurse to get the needle for you before he asked you to hold still as the slender silver pierced your skin and entered your spine. Afterwards, the rest was just a blur as all you could remember was screaming whenever you pushed and squeezed Sam and Nathan's hands, sobbing as sweat dropped profusely from your hair line and neck, and cursing in semi-fluent Portuguese at Sam whenever he made a double-entendre joke about your screaming. 

The only time it wasn't a blur was when a five pound, five ounce baby girl entered into the world as strong lungs screamed the hospital down. Looking down at Dr. Cooper as she held your red-haired baby, you and Sam cried since you were finally parents as Nathan tried to be helpful by wiping your face and hair line down with a clean towel before he moved onto your neck so sweat wouldn't build up on your skin and hair. After a few minutes of suctioning out fluid from Morgan's open mouth, ears, and closed eyes while also checking your baby for any physical disabilities and deformities (since your baby was three weeks premature) only to find none, you and your baby were tagged with matching hospital bracelets as Dr. Cooper allowed Sam to cut the umbilical cord. Once all was said and done, Morgan Anne Drake had her birth certificate written up and she was wrapped in a white, pink, and blue blanket with a diaper and little white, pink, and blue Beanie on their physique before being handed off to you. Cradling her in your arms as Sam gave her his finger to hold, you kissed your baby girl's forehead as you continued to cry alongside Sam while Nathan also greeted the little baby. With her big eyes opening, Morgan's gaze darted blindly in all directions around the room as you, Sam, and Nathan spoke soothingly to her before you asked Sam if he wanted to hold Morgan. Nodding excitingly, you passed Morgan to Sam as you secured her head in your hand while Sam copied your movements before he cradled his baby girl in his arms. Nothing could prevent the floodgates from coming as Sam held your baby close to his chest since he really was a father. His joy could never be taken away from this moment because he had waited for months, even years to be able to share this moment with you. And now that it was finally here, Sam couldn't contain himself as he held his baby in one arm and clutched your hand with his free hand. At the same time, the younger Drake brother excused himself from the room so he could call your family and make them aware that you had just given birth. Within fifteen to twenty minutes of giving birth, your parents, brothers, and youngest brother's girlfriend arrived at the hospital to show their support and love as they all took turns holding the baby. However, to be respectful to you since you were definitely tired and wanted to be with your husband and your baby, your family left you and Sam alone as they returned home before the nurses came to get your baby so they could place them in the maternity ward with all the other babies that were born that day. 

After staying in the hospital for twenty-four hours to make sure your vitals were healthy and to make sure your premature newborn could breathe properly and feed on at least an ounce of milk, you and your family were released as you returned home safely with your new bundle of joy. Turning the key on the door to the apartment, it made you and Sam feel so different since you both entered your humble abode as first-time parents while Nathan entered the home as a first-time uncle. Nevertheless, everyone took their jobs as mother, father, and uncle seriously as you all watched Morgan like a hawk and made sure she was properly entertained, fed, clothed, and changed. And even when Morgan woke you all up in the middle of the night, Sam and Nathan were very helpful to you by taking care of the baby girl whenever you were too tired to even stand. After all, your best memories of motherhood involved witnessing Sam feed your daughter at 2 AM or comfort her with a lullaby whenever she couldn't sleep because of thunder storms or restlessness. Sam's singing voice had always calmed you whenever you couldn't sleep so it only made sense that his voice and nickname of "Princess" to Morgan could calm her. But Nathan also proved himself to be a worthy uncle by joking around with silly faces and boisterous laughter to make Morgan giggle innocently with widened hazel eyes and clapping hands. But you always showed Morgan your love by reading storybooks to guide her into slumber and by spending the majority of your time with her as you played with her and her alphabet blocks or little shape game even while you still worked as a full-time genealogist. Nevertheless, having a baby girl was not easy since everyone was still learning about her and she was learning about you three. But once everyone was in perfect rhythm and coordination, then everything worked out fine for all of you as you all became one big, happy family. Overall, you enjoyed being married to Sam and enjoyed being a mother to his and your child. And honestly, you couldn't ask for a better life, not even if one was offered to you.


	9. Alex Mercer x Fem! Reader Oneshot 1 - Welcome to Renalia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. I’m so excited to finally write a oneshot for Alex Mercer and the Prototype fandom with a female reader of my own creation. For the purposes of the Prototype oneshot series, I will only focus on the first game and not the second game since I prefer that presentation of Alex’s character better. However, I will try to stick to the canon of the first game as much as possible while adding my female reader insert in the story. I will also try to not make the canon protagonists, antagonists, and minor characters too out of character. 
> 
> However, I hope everyone enjoys the first of many Prototype oneshots.

Many people have their own thoughts and feelings about the man known as Alex Mercer...Killer...Monster...Terrorist...However,most people don’t know the truth about Alex Mercer, but you did. You were his neighbor at Renalia Building for a few years leading up to his “death” and subsequent identity as Zeus and the Prototype. This is how you knew him and his sister Dana. But with all good stories, it has to start somewhere and with Alex, Dana, and you, it all started with a simple bump in a hallway followed up with a sincere apology.

The day started out normal enough. Wake up at six in the morning, cook breakfast, answer emails, look over papers, all the works of a busy day. However, your step-brother’s three children made your day all the more special. Ever since your step-brother started a family with his spouse, you were often given the privilege of watching them since you had helped your step-brother start his family through the use of science and the law. So just the idea of waking up in the morning to make them a hearty breakfast and journey around New York City with them made you proud to be a beloved aunt; it also made you wish for a husband and children of your own since you enjoyed the variety and spontaneity of memories that resulted from spending time with your step-brother’s children.

Deciding to stay in your apartment and play board games with your niece and nephews after you were done with your work, you made sure every email was answered and every paper double and triple-checked for errors and correct answers before you brought out the games of your childhood and even some board games from the newer generation. After helping your niece and nephews make pillow forts and after settling for Go Fish and Scrabble, your nephews and niece played the best two out of three of rock, paper, scissors to decide what game would be played first. Needless to say, the girl won with scissors to the boys’ paper and Scrabble was the game of choice. This prompted you to be the referee with the dictionary so it could be assured that no one was making up words in order to cheat to win. After a few hours of Scrabble, Go Fish was next, and the brothers were determined to defeat their sister, the eldest child and your niece Ally. And for a while, it seemed as though the twin boys would best their older sister. However, after being inspired by the memories of your childhood with your siblings and the current events occurring among your step-brother’s children, you decided to play this game. In the true fashion of your role as a cool aunt, you schooled your nephews in the art of children’s card games as you managed to get four of a kind three times by stealing back all the cards the brothers took from their sister. Since the rule that was agreed upon by everyone was get four of a kind three times, it meant you as the adult won. 

After playing card and board games, you made some lunch for your step-brother’s children before they all piled into the living room to take a nap. Deciding it was best to let them sleep, you thought it would be fine to go check and/or get your mail from your apartment P.O. box since your niece and nephews were taught to always look in the peephole on the door before opening the door but also to never open the door to strangers they didn’t recognize. So, locking the door to the apartment, you smiled at your sleeping niece and nephews in passing just before you made your descent for the long flight of stairs. 

After a few minutes of walking, you eventually made it to the rows and columns of P.O. boxes as you unlocked your box, finding a few bills and letters from your work. Locking your box back up, you made the long trek back up the stairs as you tried to multitask by reading your mail at the same time. However, multitasking never works. Given your field of career and study in college, you knew this. So why you thought it would be okay to do now, those cognitions were beyond your reflective understanding. However, it might not have caused you to bump backs with a strange man in the hallway of your apartment complex, which resulted in the descent of his cardboard boxes of belongings and your mail. Gasping at your mistake, you looked at the man as your voice sounded sincere, “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry, Sir. I didn’t mean to bump into you. You need any help with your things?” 

“No, I got it.” The strange man responded back with a certain skepticism in his voice and the little way his silver-blue eyes glared daggers at you. To say the least, there was nothing but ice in this man’s every mannerism, albeit it was very subtle. However, this didn’t go unnoticed by you as you picked up on these looks and vocal tone. But since you had bumped into him first, you assumed it was because maybe you put him in a bad mood. So it was no wonder that you tried to make up for it as you attempted to make the man feel better, “You sure? I feel so bad about this since it was my fault. I thought I could read mail and walk at the same time, but obviously not...Here, please let me help you.” 

Scooping up some Manila folders that had fallen out of the box, you handed them over to the man gingerly as his eyes narrowed towards you before he took each folder gently from your hands and stacked them back in the box as neatly as he could manage. Noticing some framed pictures that had fallen out of the box as well, you handed these over to the man as well, taking many precautions to avoid breaking the glass fronts of the frames. Even still, this man glared daggers at you as subtly as possible but seemed to relax as thoughts circled his mind. What were your true intentions? Money? No, that couldn’t be it. If you lived in the Renalia Building too, you wouldn’t need money since it cost a hefty price to live in these apartments. Saving face? That would make no sense. You bumped into him first and were decent enough to apologize, so unless you were just very good at telling people what they wanted to hear and were a two-faced phony, it wouldn’t be logical for you to actually get down on the floor and help this man pick up EVERY item that fell out of the box. Genuine kindness? Never in this man’s life had anyone shown him kindness unless under certain conditions that he had to follow, so for you to show it him now only created cynicism. But your vocal tone and physical mannerisms seemed genuine, which surprised this man as his features relaxed subtly with every item you returned to his cardboard box. Once all the items were returned to the box, the man even showed enough decency to help you pick up your fallen mail as you thanked him for his help before you apologized again, “Again, I’m sorry for that. Is there anything else I can do to help?”

“No, I’ll be fine. But thank you for the offer. You didn’t have to help me pick up my things, but you did. Thank you.” The man replied as his silver-blue irises softened in response to your random act of kindness while you grinned, “It was the least I could do after causing you to spill your things.” Gazing up and down at this man, you could tell he wasn’t a regular neighbor seen on this floor of the Renalia Building. Never in your life did you ever see such an attractive, Caucasian brunette with blue eyes wearing a green sweater and jeans. If you had, you would most definitely remember. But no recollection of such a man came to mind, so you thought it best to indulge in your curiosity as you mentioned matter-of-factly, “You don’t seem to be a regular at this building, especially not on this floor. But I could be wrong. However, I usually have good memory when it comes to my neighbors.” 

“That would be because I just moved in today.” The man responded back with a raspy baritone and eyes returning back to their skeptical gaze in regards to you before you nodded in understanding, “I see. So, is this your floor?”

“Yes.” 

“This is my floor too. I’m Dr. (Name) (Last Name).” You announced with a hand extended to shake the brunette’s as his eyes glared daggers of skepticism at you. However, there was something about your unconditional altruism and gentle smile that piqued Alex’s interest about you. Even when he had the idea of ‘I don’t care what anyone thinks, so I’ll do what I want,’ even when he had such a past where people expected conditions of worth in order to get love and affection, he found that you were different. Not once did you ask for anything in return for making him drop his things. Alex determined a hypothetical scenario in his head that had he been the one at fault, you still would’ve taken the blame since people like you were around in this world but Alex himself had never encountered you. Therefore, he thought that indulging his curiosity would also be good for him as he extended his arm out too for you to shake it properly, “Dr. Alex Mercer.” 

“A doctor? So does that mean you’re an actual doctor or you just have a doctorate?” You asked in awe while looking at this handsome man standing before you before he nodded while he answered you back as politely as he could, “You could say that. I have a doctorate in bio-medical science, but I mainly work in a laboratory as a researcher...And you said doctor as well for your title, so I feel as if I must ask the same for you.” 

“Well, I’m not an actual doctor or practitioner of bio-medicine in the lab. I just have a Ph.D. in law and minors in psychology...But that’s so cool. I’ve never met a bio-chemist before, and never a doctorate-level one.” You grinned in excitement as your golden eyes sparkled and your dark hair fell around your face from out up if its messy (ponytail / braid / bun) 

“Well, now you have. And I’ve never seen a psychologist or lawyer before.” Alex retorted back in genuine interest as to who you were since you were his new neighbor before you corrected his previous statement, “Former lawyer, actually. I used to be a guardian ad litem in the New York courts, but now I teach college classes at New York University.”

“I see.” Alex nodded. That was an odd answer to him delivered by you. Usually, when someone got a Ph.D. in a field of study, they stayed in that career unless something awful happened. However you didn’t seem to have a physical injury that would hinder your involvement in being a guardian ad litem. Therefore, Alex determined that the pain might have been something mentally or emotionally damaging. But, it was none of Alex’s business since he just met you after jumping into you in a hallway, so he decided not to pry anymore. However, your next words that escaped your lips gave Alex an offer he couldn’t refuse as you suggested, “Well, now that we’re neighbors, we should definitely get to know each other better.”

“We should.” Alex nodded back just as a female voice shouted up the stairs, “Alex! I got the other boxes for your moving in the apartment!” Looking the woman up and down, you noticed her facial features and physicality were similar to Alex aside from height and gender, even the shape of her face. You assumed that the two could be related biologically from looks alone but you had to have a proper introduction to make sure. After placing the cardboard boxes down on the ground to catch her breath from climbing up a whole flight of stairs, the brunette woman bent over with her hands on her hips as she attempted to walk around in a circle to get her legs back again before her silver-blue orbs managed to get a good look at you. Smiling in intrigue at you, the brunette looked to Alex as she slung a thin arm around his shoulders, which made Alex become startled as he rolled his eyes at the brunette’s antics, and thumbed at you, “Alex, who’s the lucky one? Did you finally get a girlfriend? Should I be planning for a wedding?” 

All in all, this just made you blush beet red since you had never had anyone aside from your family and step-brother’s spouse comment about you in that flirtatious way before. So to see a new neighbor’s friend or relative speak to you that way, it made you the epitome of the character Bashful from Snow White. Noticing the subtlety of your facial expressions and sudden redness, Alex kept the situation calm as he shook his head with a gentle smile, “No, Dana, this is my new neighbor on this floor, Dr. (Name) (Last Name)...(Name), this is my annoying little sister Dana.”

“Oh, so all of a sudden because there’s a girl involved, I’m annoying?” Dana gasped with a mocked hurt as Alex narrowed his eyes with a smirk, “I wouldn’t need a girl to know that a little sister is an annoying pest sometimes.”

“You take that back! You know you love me!” 

“Love you or tolerate you?” Alex joked as shade was thrown from him to Dana before the brunette shook her head, prompting Alex to calm down the situation again by laughing while he booped his sister’s nose, “I’m just kidding. But you do ask a lot of questions.”

“Well, I’m the next rising investigative journalist in New York City so asking lots of hard questions is a good skill, bro.” Dana replied as she booped Alex’s nose back while his facial expression showed mock annoyance at his little sister before the brunette extended her hand out to shake yours, “Hi, I’m Dana Mercer, Alex’s little sister and a journalist. But you already knew that.” Giving a small nod with a smile, Dana continued to question you as she started with her first round of questions, “So, you have a doctorate or are you an actual doctor because you have the title of doctor? What do you do for a living? You have kids? Are you married?”

“Dana, don’t hound the poor woman. Give her room to breathe.” Alex suggested as he tried to pull Dana out of the situation with you before you waved a hand at the brunette male with a smile, “No, it’s fine, Alex. When I was a guardian ad litem, I got bombarded by the press outside of courtrooms on many cases. Besides, it’s like she said, being able to ask the hard questions and being curious helps in her career.” Indulging in Dana’s curiosity, you answered each and every question that she threw at you with clarity and patience. From the sidelines, Alex watched and from what Dana asked you that you later answered, he learned more about you than he would’ve if he had tried to ask you himself. 

However, another interruption came in the form of a child’s voice as you and the Mercer siblings turned towards the sound, “Auntie (Name)?” 

“Get back inside and close the door, Daniel. Auntie (Name) will back any minute and she’ll be pissed if we open the door before she comes back.” Ally responded as she pushed her brother back inside the apartment before she mouthed a quick ‘sorry’ to you. Waving your hand with an expression that didn’t express anger or disappointment that your nephew didn’t follow the rules, Ally grinned in understanding with a nod as she went back inside your apartment and shut the door before you announced to the Mercer siblings, “Well, I guess that’s my cue to leave.” 

“I guess.” Dana sighed as she seemed disappointed that she couldn’t get to know you more in the hallway while Alex was able to hide his disappointments at your sudden departure. However, they both understood you had a duty to your family since they were the only family each other had, so they decided to let you go as Dana announced, “Alright, we’ll let you go. But maybe we’ll see each other again.”

“Oh absolutely. Here.” You replied as you reached into your back pocket and pulled out a sticky note and a pen. Writing down a phone number and an email address on two sticky notes, you handed the two neon slips to Alex and Dana respectively as you announced, “In case you need something, please don’t hesitate to call me.” 

“Hey, thanks. You’re so sweet. She’s a good neighbor and a keeper, Alex. So behave yourself in the apartments, okay?” Dana replied with a wink to her brother as he smirked with narrowed eyes and knitted eyebrows, “Says the one who asks twenty questions to a neighbor who just met us.” This only earned a slap on the arm to Alex as administered by Dana, which also earned a laugh from you in response since you would be rich if you had a nickel for every time you slapped your younger siblings in the arm for stupidity and playful jabs. After the Mercer siblings joined in your laughter, with Alex’s laughter more subtle under closed lips with only his shoulders shaking, Dana unlocked Alex’s door to help move her share of the cardboard boxes into the apartment while Alex bid you goodbye. Bidding him goodbye as well, you walked back to your apartment door while Alex picked up his last cardboard box of belongings and followed Dana into his apartment. But before departing for that day from each other, you and Alex exchanged one last glance as your apartment numbers were committed to memory before you went back to your normal life as a single aunt to three wonderful children that belonged to your younger step-brother and Alex went back to his life as an older brother and single man with no children of his own. But what you, Dana, and Alex didn’t realize was that this day would not be the first and last meeting between you three. There would be many more meetings between you three since it seemed as though some sort of otherworldly force (God, Fate, Destiny, etc.) was pushing you all together. And all in all, the Mercer siblings would become some of the closest relations you would have with people outside of your family, including your in-laws.


	10. Kingdom Hearts Plot Explanation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Since seeing the parody of ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ for Avengers: Endgame, I decided to make up one of my own for Kingdom Hearts because I love this video game series and haven’t seen anyone do something similar.
> 
> I don’t own ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ or Kingdom Hearts. But I hope everyone enjoys the parody song anyways. And spoilers may occur, so please proceed with caution. I’ll also provide a YouTube Link to the Avengers Parody as well. 
> 
> Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/-onk-Qm7ATw

🎵

Kingdom Hearts 1,2,3,4

Almost everyone’s Xehanort

Wayfinders: Aqua, Terra, and Ven

Forced to wait in dark slumber ‘til when

Sora, Mickey, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, And Riku

Defeating Ansem is what they do

Runnin’ in Castle Oblivion and losing memories three

One year sleep, defeat Organization’s king

Next fight, trapped in Jiminy’s Datascape

Have to thank friend Naminé

Spirits in a dream; 13 dark and 7 light

Here we go, final fight!

~

We didn’t start the battle

But it was all predicted

By the Master’s eye

We didn’t start the battle

But we always try to fight

Cause there’s more to light

~

Let’s not forget the Twilight crew!

Roxas, Xion, Axel, Saix too

Also Hayner, Pence, and Olette!

Hollow Bastion Restoration Team

Leon, Cloud, Aerith, Yuffie

Merlin, Cid, Stitch, and Tifa

But let’s not forget the apprentices of the Wise

Ienzo, Aeleus, and Dilan on the Gummi Phone, always seen

Chip and Dale with the ship! Onto the lanes between!

~

Many, many years ago

Five unions went with the flow

While one member took a box

Tricked the others like a sharpshooting fox

Dandelions ran from the fight

Were told to go into the world outside

But in future, Yozora and Master’s in the city there

Kingdom Hearts is in the air! Reconnect!

~

We didn’t start the battle

But it was all predicted

By the Master’s eye

We didn’t start the battle

But we always try to fight

Cause there’s more to light

🎵


End file.
